Due to visa complications, European Dota 2 organization Tundra Esports will be competing with a stand-in player at The International 2024 (TI13). Edgar “9Class” Naltakian, their starting support player, is unable to participate, leading to the recruitment of former Tundra player and TI champion Martin “Saksa” Sazdov.
The news of this last-minute lineup change was announced on Tundra’s official social media platforms just two days before the commencement of The International.
Image Credit: Valve
9Class, a Russian citizen, encountered significant obstacles in obtaining a visa for Denmark, the location of TI13. As a result, Tundra had to bring in Saksa, a former Tundra player and TI champion, to fill the void.
Saksa first joined Tundra in 2022 amidst controversy when he replaced Adrian “Fata” Trinks on the roster. Despite doubts about the roster change, Saksa and Tundra went on to win The International that year, claiming the Aegis in just their third year as a team.
After stepping down from the team in September 2023 due to health reasons, Saksa remained on Tundra’s inactive roster and was not initially expected to compete in The International.
Since leaving Tundra, Saksa has participated in smaller tournaments with Team Bald, showing moderate success. Although his Team Bald Reborn lost in the qualifiers for The International 2024, Saksa has now stepped up to stand in for Tundra at the event.
This year, Saksa will be playing alongside a completely different roster from the one he won The International with in 2022. The current team is led by Ivan “Pure-” Moskalenko and Topias “Topson” Taavistainen, with no remaining players from their championship-winning lineup.
