Tundra Esports vs Entity Dota 2 The International 2023 Lower Bracket Round 1 highlights

Dota 2 The International 2023's Lower Bracket Round 1 was packed with upsets and intense matchups, as four teams in this round were eliminated without securing a single victory in their respective best-of-three (Bo3) series. In the fourth and final Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Round 1 playoffs, the reigning champions, Tundra Esports, faced off against Entity.

This series turned into a massive upset for Tundra fans, as the underdogs, Entity, eliminated the former from the tournament. Despite the presence of their new midlaner and the two-time Aegis winner, Topson, Tundra failed to revamp their Dota 2 TI12 campaign. Read on to learn more about the drafts, insights, and highlights from this action-packed series.

---

Entity defeats Tundra Esports 2-0, advances to Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Round 2

First game between Tundra Esports and Entity

The Dota 2 TI12 LB Round 1 game started with strong lineups from both the side, but Tundra's heroes lacked stuns. This proved to be a fatal blow in teamfights. Topson's Pugna became ineffective after a certain point as Entity's heroes became very tanky.

Tundra Esports (Dire):

• Chaos Knight - Skiter
• Pugna - Topson
• Sand King - 33
• Weaver - Nine
• Grimstroke - Sneyking

Entity (Radiant):

• Naga Siren - watson
• Invoker - Stormstormer
• Primal Beast - Gabbi
• Dark Willow - Kataomi`
• Ancient Apparition - Fishman

Tundra dominated the early-game as all their heroes were getting kills all over the map. Topson purchased an early Aether Lens and helped Tundra gain a massive 9K gold lead. They managed to pick off Radiant's supports and cores, which helped Chaos Knight get some good farm within a few minutes.

However, due to the lack of team synergy and stuns, Tundra gradually started to lose teamfights and the gold lead. Naga Siren, on the other hand, was farming all over Radiant's jungle and getting fat. Topson was picked off at the top River Rune by the Invoker and Ancient Apparition, and gave away experience to Entity's supports.

This didn't stop Tundra as they went on to win fights and control most of the map. They pushed the top tier-2 tower and a teamfight erupted there, which saw Tundra's heroes dismantle Entity. After this, they went straight to the Roshan Pit and secured Aegis on the Chaos Knight.

With the Aegis, Tundra started chipping away at the Radiant's bottom racks. Weaver was alone pushing mid. Seeing this, Entity smoked and claimed the Weaver's life. Tundra immediately retreated, but was flanked by Entity who managed to teamwipe the former.

Tundra's heroes were scattered and lacked coordination, which Entity capitalized on to make a comeback. Sand King's decision to purchase Heart of Tarrasque instead of team-oriented defensive items also proved ineffective. Following this shift in momentum, Primal Beast and Naga Siren teamed up to roam together and overpowered Tundra.

After amassing a significant 20K gold lead over the reigning TI champions, Entity began their assault on Dire's top racks. Chaos Knight found himself out of position and was swiftly eliminated. He quickly bought back, as a teamfight erupted, Tundra's heroes were systematically picked off in this fight without buybacks. Sand King and Weaver's poor positioning and lack of impact in teamfights ultimately contributed to Tundra's defeat in Dota 2 TI12 game 1.

---

Second game between Tundra Esports and Entity

Tundra lacked stuns in their second Dota TI12 Lower Braket game as well. They had a weak lineup when compared to Entity's late-game-based fighting draft. Skiter's Alchemist pick was not so strong either as he was quickly silenced by Entity.

Tundra Esports (Radiant):

• Alchemist - Skiter
• Zeus - Topson
• Doom - 33
• Monkey King - Nine
• Nature's Prophet - Sney King

Entity (Dire):

• Terrorblade - watson
• Batrider - Stormstormer
• Kunkka - Gabbi
• Vengeful Spirit - Kataomi`
• Undying - Fishman

Everything started good for the Radiant side, and they were getting early kills. Alchemist got Radiance and Blink Dagger within just 19 minutes and joined teamfights. After pushing for a little bit, Tundra retreated to their jungle was farming gold.

Entity used SOD, invaded Radiant's top jungle, and killed Topson in the mid lane. After securing this kill, they went on to claim Aegis for the Terrorblade and started to pressurize Tundra. Alchemist clearly wasn't ready to face a Terrorblade with items such as Manta Style, BKB, Hurrican Pike, and Eye of Skadi.

Additionally, watson had his team protecting him at all costs, so Tundra actively avoided fights. The latter started ratting, but were halted as Entity found and picked off Monkey King and Nature's Prophet. After this, Entity's heroes got very powerful and secured the second Aegis.

This time they went straight to the Radiant's tier 3 buildings and team wiped Tundra in a dominant fashion. They destroyed the Ancient and knocked out Tundra from Dota 2 The International 2023.

Entity has qualified for Dota 2 The International 2023 Lower Bracket Round 2, and will lock horns with Virtus.pro.