Martin "Saksa" Sazdov will be taking a break from competing, leaving a spot open in Tundra just over a month before The International 12.
After claiming the Aegis of Champions with Tundra Esports at the last TI, the Macedonian player has been battling issues with health. Since April, Saksa dropped from events after the tournament started for DreamLeague Season 19 & 20, Bali Major, and Riyadh Masters. His only two full events were Lima and Berlin Major.
So it comes as little surprise to many following the professional player and scene that he would not be heading to Seattle.
Rumours are rampant that Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen could be joining the squad. Between being spotted in lobbies, leaks, and increased practice in pubs things are pointing in that direction. If that were to happen, (purely speculation, of course) it appears that Leon "Nine" Kirilin would step away from the mid-lane role. The two players have similar styles such as playing support heroes mid, dominating lane, playing kill-heavy style, and also hero-pools, making it a fairly easy transition for the team and Topson to meld together.
There is no official word on who will replace him, but it is safe to say that Tundra has already gained the approval from Valve to move Saksa to inactive and arrive in Seattle with a new player.
Saksa joined Tundra in 2022 just days after the team announced they had parted ways with Adrian "Fata" Trinks, spurning much controversy and debates on social media. He joined the team in the position 4 role moving Jing “Sneyking” Wu into the position 5 and captain role in Fata's stead.
Tundra Esports
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko
Neta “33” Shapira
Leon “Nine” Kirilin
Jing “Sneyking” Wu
