The Riyadh Masters 2025 group stage delivered its share of high-stakes encounters, and few were more critical than the tie-breaker series for Group C supremacy between Aurora Gaming and Tundra Esports. Emerging victorious after a tense three-game affair was Aurora Gaming, securing their direct path to the playoffs.
Following their 2-1 triumph, Aurora Gaming`s prominent carry player, Egor `Nightfall` Grigorenko, offered his thoughts on the series and his team`s current form during an interview on the official tournament broadcast.
Reflecting on the decisive third game, which sealed their fate in the group, Nightfall described the victory as satisfying. He noted that repetitive hero picks, such as the prominent Tusk and Dazzle combination seen in the series, are a frequent occurrence when top teams clash. “I think this happens often in matches between top teams — they just fight, each has some idea,” he explained. “It was the same in this series. We just didn`t want to give them the Tusk and Dazzle combination.”
Highlighting his squad`s belief in their strategic approach, Nightfall conveyed confidence in their draft choices, even when facing early setbacks. He specifically referenced the second game, where Aurora found themselves in a difficult position across multiple lanes, resulting in an early 0:6 scoreline and his own first blood death. “But even in that game, at the moment of the Roshan fight, the deficit was only 4 thousand gold, and we could win,” he pointed out, underscoring the razor-thin margins at this level of play.
Perhaps with a touch of playful confidence bordering on digital-age irony, Nightfall characterized the third and final game as “quite easy for us.” He then added a comment that is bound to resonate with the audience, suggesting their minor stumbles were merely “just we threw a little for content.” A classic pro player perspective: if it wasn`t perfectly clean, it must have been intentional for viewer entertainment.
Looking ahead, Nightfall expressed a strong conviction in Aurora Gaming`s potential against any adversary at the event. “We are confident against any team in this tournament. We believe we can beat anyone,” he stated firmly, signalling his team`s readiness for the knockout stages.
While acknowledging the inherently perilous nature of a single-elimination format (“a bit strange,” in his words, where one loss means exiting the competition), Nightfall named a couple of teams he would particularly relish facing. He specifically mentioned being interested in playing against BetBoom Team and Liquid, setting the stage for potential future clashes.
The 2-1 tie-breaker win over Tundra Esports secured Aurora Gaming the coveted first seed from Group C, granting them a playoff berth. Tundra Esports, while putting up a strong fight, will now need to navigate the Elimination Phase to earn their spot in the later stages of the tournament.
Riyadh Masters 2025 is a cornerstone event of the Esports World Cup 2025, taking place in Saudi Arabia from July 8 to 19. Sixteen elite Dota 2 teams are competing for a substantial $3 million prize pool.
Jasper Hawthorne