Aurora Gaming has successfully navigated the challenging group stage at Riyadh Masters 2025, securing a coveted playoff berth. Their path wasn`t straightforward, requiring a tiebreaker match against Tundra Esports to determine the top spot in Group C. Following their 2-1 victory in the series, Aurora`s veteran carry, Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, offered his perspective on the intense matchup during a post-game interview.
Nightfall described the decisive third game as “not easy,” but ultimately “pleasant to win.” He noted that repeated hero picks or strategies, such as denying Tundra the potent Tusk and Dazzle combination, are typical when top teams clash.
“I think this [repeated drafts] often happens in matches between top teams,” Nightfall explained. “They just fight, and each team has some idea. It was the same in this series. We just didn`t want to give them the Tusk and Dazzle synergy.”
Confidence in their own draft was paramount for Aurora, even during difficult moments. Nightfall specifically referenced the tough second game:
…even in the second game, when everything went very badly for us on all lanes, I gave up first blood, and the score was 0:6. But even in that game, at the moment of the fight for Roshan, the gold difference was only 4 thousand, and we could have won. So, I would call the third game quite easy for us, we just threw a little for content.
Yes, you read that last part correctly. “Threw a little for content.” A classic esports competitor`s casual assessment of a tense situation, perhaps delivered with a hint of irony after securing a crucial win.
Looking beyond the tiebreaker, Nightfall expressed strong belief in Aurora`s potential against any opponent at the tournament. “We are confident against any team in this tournament,” he stated firmly. “We believe we can beat anyone.”
He also shared his thoughts on the tournament structure and teams he`d be interested in facing. While finding the single-elimination playoff format “a bit strange” after the group stage battles, he mentioned BetBoom Team and Team Liquid as potential interesting matchups.
The 2-1 victory over Tundra Esports secured Aurora Gaming a direct slot in the Riyadh Masters 2025 playoffs. Tundra, led by Remco “Crystallis” Arets, will now need to fight their way through the Elimination Phase to advance further in the competition.
Riyadh Masters 2025 is a premier Dota 2 tournament running from July 8th to 19th in Saudi Arabia, forming a significant part of the Esports World Cup 2025. Sixteen elite teams are competing for a substantial $3 million prize pool.