Saksa returns to Tundra Esports with 9Class unable to reach The International 2024

We only have a few days remaining until The International 2024 kicks of with its Group Stage from Copenhagen, Denmark. By now, most of the teams will be settling in, making their final preparations, and getting ready to fight for the Aegis of Champions. This year, with many players being from Russia , there was always a high chance of Visa issues – and the first that seems to have come to light is from  Tundra Esports . Confirmed just a short time ago, Naltakyan “9Class” Edgar was unable to acquire his Visa, and thus will not be able to participate in the prestigious tournament.

Taking his spot, as announced by the team via their social media, Martin “ Saksa ” Sazdov will make his return to competitive Dota 2 and to Tundra as the stand-in. Having not played since late in 2023, Saksa has a storied history, with The International 2022 being the pinnacle of his career when he secured victory with Tundra. While the circumstances of his return are not the greatest, the team will have to regroup in the next few days and get themselves ready for the Group Stage.

The full Tundra Esports team heading to TI 2024 is as follows:

Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko
Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen
Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev
Martin “ Saksa ” Sazdov (stand-in) 
Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon

It will be interesting to see how Tundra adapts to their stand-in, and if they can still make a strong challenge early on at the event. However, with the strength of Saksa , the team can certainly still perform at their best, as we get ourselves ready for The International 2024 to get underway.