Dota 2: Tundra Esports part ways with Nine, who will be taking break from pro play

The International (TI) 2022 champions Tundra Esports announced on Tuesday (7 November) that they have parted ways with midlaner-turned-position 4 support player Leon "Nine" Kirilin, who will be taking an extended break from competitive Dota 2.

This move comes after Tundra's abysmal showing at TI 2023, where they failed to win a second-straight Aegis of Champions and were instead knocked out in 13th-16th place.

"I am going on an extended competitive Dota break. I am forever grateful for the last three years with Tundra, both the players and the org," Nine said in a post on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account.

"I have fulfilled my dream with friends i hold dear, and experienced things i will never forget."

Nine steps away from pro play as a TI champion

Nine had been with Tundra since the organisation entered Dota 2 in 2021 by signing the mudgolems roster, where he played as the midlaner.

While the roster was unable to qualify for TI 2021 in their first year under Tundra, the next year saw them raise the Aegis of Champions after a dominant run through TI 2022 culminated in a 3-0 sweep over Team Secret in the Grand Finals.

In the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit season, Tundra's campaign to become repeat champions proved to be a rough one. The team were consistently among the top teams in the cutthroat Western European regional leagues, finishing third in the Winter Tour, second in the Spring Tour, and first in the Summer Tour.

However, Tundra had inconsistent results in the Majors and other international tournaments.

The TI 2022 champions finished 9th-12th in the Lima Major in March, fourth in DreamLeague Season 19 in April, 5th-6th in the ESL One Berlin Major 2023 in May, 9th-10th in DreamLeague Season 20 in June, as well as third in the Bali Major and 9th-12th in Riyadh Masters 2023 in July.

September saw a massive roster change for Tundra, as Martin "Saksa" Sazdov took an extended health break while two-time TI champion Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen joined the team as his replacement.

Topson notably took over as Tundra's midlaner, forcing Nine to move to the position 4 support role.

Despite this roster shakeup, Tundra were seen as one of the biggest favourites heading into TI 2023 by virtue of being the defending champions being reinforced by a two-time TI champion.

Tundra had a stellar start to the tournament, finishing phase one of the Road to The International Group Stage as the first seed of Group D with a 7-1 record.

However, the downfall of the defending champions began in phase two of the Group Stage, where they were upset by North America's Nouns Esports and forced to a lower bracket start in the Road to The International Playoffs.

Tundra's struggles continued in the first round of the lower bracket, where they were knocked out by Entity.

Despite a disappointing showing before he takes his break from pro play, Nine can hold his head high as a TI champion with over US$2 million in winnings to his name at 25-years old.

Tundra has yet to announce who will replace Nine for the next season.

Tundra Esports Dota 2 roster:

1. Oliver "skiter" Lepko

2. Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen

3. Neta "33" Shapira

4. N/A

5. Wu "Sneyking" Jingjun

6. Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling (coach)

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