photo from EPICENTER
During the initial phase of DreamLeague Season 22, news surfaced that Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, the offlaner for Tundra Esports, was unexpectedly removed from the team.
While Gorc was live-streaming, MinD_ContRoL clarified the circumstances surrounding his exit.
Here are the statement from MinD_Control:
“I dont want to watch dota for a while.”
“So first in January everything was good and all but it started a little bit adding up inch by inch in a way. So, first what happened is Pure took my captain’s role. He basically stole it from me which was okay for me as long as we are winning but that’s not a good thing right because you just can’t just win all the time so it’s like that’s not what I wanted in this team originally. I wanted to be the captain the drafter all that but it was stolen. That thing in itself is it’s like it’s okay,”
“Then the next thing that came up is MoonMeander. He was suggested by our CEO Anthony. He in a way suggested it and I said I don’t like this idea at all. I don’t want to have this coach I don’t like it but then he kind of found a way to convince me without me being able to say no in a way. Basically kind of enforced it to work with MoonMeander and in a way convinced me because I don’t really have a choice, not much choices at least,”
“Yeah, started working with Moon and yeah it’s good but I don’t like it so two things that I don’t like already and the third thing is now it’s zai. It’s the same with zai. I said I don’t want to work with zai. I don’t know what this player manager role even does and I don’t like it at all. What the f**is that role? I don’t like it and yeah I don’t like three things already and what’s what’s next? There’s going to be more things that I don’t like,”
“So, basically, I have no voice or power in the team as a leader at all. It’s being taken over by Moon, zai and Pure so yeah I hate that. I hate that and I can’t let them abuse me anymore. It’s too much abuse so I told Anthony the CEO of Tundra you have to choose – it’s going to be zai or me – choose. I’m fine with Pure. You know one problem is okay, it’s not an issue to have one problem. It can be managed in a way but three problems and maybe incoming more potentially – it’s too much for me. I can’t handle this shit,”
“Zai is trying to teach us all about the teamwork and things like this and it’s good and all but honestly we know all of that. It’s nothing new. We have the knowledge, we’re not bad players and I don’t see the reasoning of having too many voices in a team I think it’s pointless and useless and if anything is going to do the opposite of help that’s why I don’t like this. That’s just my opinion, I might be wrong but I don’t like it.
And with Moon. it’s about styles. I think his style is good of course he can win, he can make a team win in some way but I don’t think it’s the best. It’s just opinion based thing I don’t like it. So if the boss of Tundra doesn’t see it like I do so he chose this way. It’s him, he could choose me but he chose them,”
“Doesn’t matter who is right or wrong. I respect their choice, honestly it’s fine. I don’t wish them anything bad. It’s fine”
Tundra Esports responded to the departure of their player, MinD_ContRoL, on Facebook. Following an internal investigation, they suspended him. Tundra stated that MinD_ContRoL declined to play or represent the team unless his excessively demanding requests were fulfilled.
Let’s break it down:
MinD_ContRoL’s affiliation with Team Liquid brought him considerable fame and triumph. Notably, he was a contributing member when the team claimed victory at The International 2017 (TI7), a highly esteemed tournament in the competitive Dota 2 sphere. MinD_ContRoL has had remarkable achievements in Dota 2 tournaments.
photo from wykrhmreddy facebook page
In contrast, the organization Tundra Esports has achieved a victory at The International event, taking home the title at The International 12 in 2022.
The problem according to MinD_ContRoL
- Pure stole the captains role but he’s still okay with it
- MoonMeander transitioned to a coaching role, but his and MinD_ContRoL’s playing styles were incompatible with MoonMeander’s approach.
- Zai become general manager. The role was intended to improve teamwork, but MinD_ContRoL questioned the necessity of it, emphasizing that professional players already understand teamwork dynamics.
In the recent situation between MinD_ContRoL and Tundra Esports, both parties could have handled things better. MinD_ContRoL’s tweet criticizing Tundra lacked context and made them look bad. However, it’s important to remember that assigning blame is subjective here. This seems to be a clash of ideas, strategies, and possibly personalities. Waiting until the end of the tournament might have given MinD_ContRoL a stronger case, considering the team’s performance. MinD_ContRoL’s response seemed rushed, likely due to frustrations building up behind the scenes. While it’s understandable that he wanted to defend himself, the timing and approach could have been better.
Despite MinD_ContRoL’s strong views on Dota as Tundra’s captain, the team retains the authority to make decisions that align with their goals. The perception of heroes and villains depends on one’s perspective. While appointing Zai as a coach immediately may have been hasty, a gradual transition could have been more effective. Open dialogue with MinD_ContRoL or reassurance of addressing his concerns after the tournament could have been more constructive. However, the extent of their discussions remains undisclosed.
With limited options, Tundra may have felt compelled to choose between MinD_ContRoL and Zai, along with MoonMeander, as soon as possible, due to pressure from MinD_ContRoL.
Who knows? Perhaps we’ll see Zai return to his role as an offlaner in the future. 🙂