"I became known in Europe thanks to Tundra", — former support player says about the organization's closure

Matthew Whitemon Filemon gave an interview in which he shared his emotions following Tundra Esports' departure from Dota 2, spoke about the search for a new organization and explained the reasons behind the team's disappointing results at recent tournaments.

According to him, the players learned about the club's closure after PGL Wallachia Season 8, where the team finished in last place while playing with a stand-in. After that, the roster began discussing its future and the possibility of continuing to compete together.

We learned about it directly from management and started thinking about what to do next. Whether we wanted to continue playing together as five players, and if so, we needed to start looking for a new organization.

The player also revealed that the organization's general manager contacted potential partners and helped the roster during the search process.

It is worth noting that rumors about the roster joining 1Win first appeared in early May, and a month later the organization officially announced the signing of the entire lineup. Later, Tundra's sports director Alexander sweetypotz Shcherbakov explained the reasons behind the organization's departure from Dota 2 and spoke about its transformation into a media-focused project.

Filemon also admitted that it was difficult for him to part ways with the organization, as it was under the Tundra banner that he gained widespread recognition on the European scene.

Was I sad? Of course. I believe my rise is closely connected to this team. I became known in Europe thanks to Tundra, so it was genuinely difficult for me to say goodbye.

But as a player, I look at it this way: what could I do? The most important thing for me was finding a new organization so I could continue developing.

In addition, Whitemon explained the reasons behind the team's disappointing performances at recent tournaments. According to him, the main issue was a lack of practice and the team's frequent use of stand-ins.

We did not prepare enough. Because we were playing with stand-ins, we did not practice together with Pure for about a month. Then he came back, and we immediately went to a tournament without proper preparation. It all came down to a lack of time.

It is worth noting that after winning ESL One Birmingham 2026, the team failed to finish higher than top 6 at four consecutive tournaments, marking one of the most difficult periods for Tundra in recent years.

The next tournament for the new 1Win roster will be Esports World Cup 2026, which will take place from 06.07.2026 to 18.07.2026 in Paris, France. A total of 24 teams will compete for a $2,000,000 prize pool.

Earlier, Cyberscore shared Alexander TORONTOTOKYO Khertek's thoughts on why things did not work out in OG.