Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen Officially Join Tundra Esports

With the roster lock deadline for The International 12 (TI12) qualifiers just a few days away, attention turns to teams that still need to finalize or unveil their last lineups. Surprisingly, even a well-established squad like Tundra Esports might be in for a major shakeup. There's a buzz surrounding the possibility of them adding Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, a former two-time TI champion, to their roster. This speculation gains traction as Leon "Nine" Kirilin, Tundra's midlaner, has been observed playing support roles in public matches lately. Meanwhile, Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, the team's support player who has been dealing with health concerns, appears to have abstained from ranked games in recent days.

Nine, who has been an integral part of Tundra's roster for the past two and a half years, has predominantly held the midlane position in both professional matches and ranked games. However, doubts began to arise when recent match records revealed him playing in the support role. According to data from Dota 2 Pro Tracker, Nine has engaged in 37 games across the last eight days, using primarily Skywrath Mage and Rubick in the support role on his two accounts. This has fueled speculations about the potential addition of Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen to Tundra, especially considering Martin "Saksa" Sazdov's history of missing tournaments due to health-related issues in recent months. Saksa's withdrawals from events like the Riyadh Masters 2023, Bali Major 2023, and DreamLeague S20 have been attributed to anxiety, sleep disturbances, and mental health challenges. During this period, Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling has temporarily filled in for the team. If Nine is indeed transitioning to the support role and Aui_2000 wishes to focus on coaching, Saksa might take an extended hiatus from competitive Dota 2, potentially opening up a spot in the team. Meanwhile, Topson, who has shown renewed interest in competitive Dota 2 this year, continues to play midlane heroes in public games. On YouTube, Topson recently posted a cryptic image of himself smiling, responding enigmatically to the community's query about whether the rumor is true or not. The situation concerning Tundra's future, particularly with regards to Topson, remains uncertain. It's possible that even if Saksa is unavailable, Topson might not be the immediate replacement as current rumors suggest. Any forthcoming roster changes are likely to be disclosed to the public in the coming days.