Saksa on the problem with TI’s new format and his “amazing” Tundra teammates
Tundra EsportsTundra Esports’ Martin ‘Saksa’ Sazdov is excited about Dota 2 International 11 being held in Singapore but has his doubts about the new format. Here’s what Saksa had to say ahead of the Arlington Major about the team’s journey and what comes next.
Saksa has been a prominent name in the Dota 2 community for some time. Having missed out on the ultimate glory of lifting the Aegis of Champions in 2016, the talented support player has played across several top-tier teams including NIP, OpTic, and OG.
Since joining Tundra Esports, he has secured a fourth-place finish in the DPC Season 2021/22 Tour 2, as well as a third-place finish at the Stockholm Major. An active player since 2014, Saksa is now preparing with Tundra Esports to lay siege on the upcoming Arlington Major as well as The International 11.
Tundra EsportsSaksa’s journey with Tundra and the road ahead
Chatting to Dexerto about his journey with Tundra Esports and some of the challenges that the team is facing, Saksa praised his teammates as “some of the best players in their respective positions,” and said he is “very glad” to be playing with this roster.
“It’s been great overall, the organization has been very good and the conditions have been great, so I’m happy here,” he said. “The guys have been amazing, and they have been really good teammates from the start, so I’m definitely very glad to be on this team.”
When asked about difficulties the team has faced, Saksa confessed that “overcoming some mental challenges” is one of the things that they are working on as a team.
From the aspect of his personal performance, after surprising everyone with the roaming support position 4 Doom instead of the traditional off-lane role for the hero at the Stockholm Major, Saksa has confirmed that “there will be some [similar] pocket strats[strategies] for the DPC Season.”
It is fairly evident that Tundra Esports has managed to detect the problems that the players are facing – a good sign for the team to grow and get past these challenges.
ESL OneSaksa on TI in Singapore and the new format
Ever since Valve announced the new format for The International 11, there has been debate about how the prolonged duration of the tournament would play out for all the teams involved. Talking about his personal take on the new format, Saksa did confirm that he isn’t “so sure about the break of 5-6 days before the final day.”
“Once you start to play on the final day after a break, the meta changes and it becomes like a new tournament,” he noted, adding that this can lead to teams losing the momentum that they carried into the finals.
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Saksa also said that he is “very excited” about TI being held in Southeast Asia. “I really like that TI is in South-East Asia for the first time. I feel like it’s a long time coming and a lot of the most hype LANs I’ve played have been in that area.”
After that conversation with Saksa, it is safe to say that Tundra Esports is not leaving any stone unturned as their quest for TI glory reaches the business end of the season. As for how the team performs, we will have to wait and watch as the Tour 3 of DPC Season 2021-22 heats up.