TSM Enter Dota 2 With Team Undying

TSM officially entered Dota 2 esports scene by signing Team Undying. The news surfaced on Tuesday, January 25, just under a month before the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Winter Tour Regional Finals.

Formed in 2009, TSM is one of the most recognizable and most successful organizations in the esports industry. Known for achieving immense success across multiple titles, TSM have left a footprint in almost all titles.

Surprisingly, throughout all the years, TSM have yet to field a roster in Dota 2. But that’s no longer the case as of this Tuesday when TSM announced its inaugural Dota 2 roster.

As revealed by the esports organization, TSM will the Dota 2 esports scene with the signing of Team Undying. The deal sees the acquisition of one of North America’s top Dota 2 teams, which formed in January 2021.

Featuring veteran Dota 2 players in David “MoonMeander” Tan Boon and Kim “DuBu” Doo-young, and Enzo “Timado” Gianoli O’Connor, Jonathan Bryle “Bryle” Santos De Guia, and Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek, Team Undying have quickly made a name for themselves. And it didn’t take long before they got spotted by TSM signed the quintet under its banner.

Team Undying made their debut in January 2021, when they successfully qualified for the DPC Season 1, in which they finished in third place. But their success story didn’t end there.

Team Undying would go on to repeat the same success in the second DPC season and also claimed silver from BTS Pro Series Season 5: Americas in March.

During summer, Undying picked up back-to-back titles at the sixth and seventh season of the BTS Pro Series: Americas and even successfully qualified for The International 10, with a perfect run through the North American qualifiers.

Although Undying did not win the Aegis of Champions in October, they performed admirably well. Interestingly, Undying attended TI10 as an independent organization founded by the fans and the team’s earnings throughout the year.

But despite having no proper backing, Undying showed up and finished the group stage in fifth place, before getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, ending the tournament in 13th-16th.

After a successful season together, the roster decided to stick together for 2022. And they quickly established themselves as one of the region’s top teams by placing second in the DPC NA 2021/22 Tour 1 Division I earlier this month.

Strong showings in 2021 and a solid start to the new season earned Team Undying a contract with TSM, who signed the entire roster under its wing. And with that, provided Undying with proper organizational backing for the first time since the team came together.

“Signing with TSM is a dream come true,” said MoonMeander. “To all the TSM Dota 2 fans out there, expect a new era in NA.”

The ex-Team Undying roster will make their debut under the TSM banner at the DPC NA 2021/22 Tour 1: Regional Finals. The tournament will take place on February 18-20 and will feature the top four teams from the first DPC.

Joining TSM at the tournament are Quincy Crew, Evil Geniuses, and 4 Zoomers. The teams will compete for the lion’s share of the $100,000 prize pool and 380 DPC points.

The whole tournament will play out in a double-elimination bracket, with each game played as best-of-three (Bo3). The grand finals, on February 20, will be played as Bo5.

The seeding for the DPC Regional Finals have already been revealed, placing TSM in the same bracket as Evil Geniuses. The two squads will clash on Tuesday, February 18, when TSM will make its first-ever appearance in a professional Dota 2 match.