Dota 2 champs Tundra Esports cause a frenzy over “lost” Aegis of Champions trophy

Top esports team causes a stir on Twitter by claiming to have lost iconic first-place trophy mere hours after winning it.

The winners of the Dota 2 International have caused a frenzy on Twitter after claiming to have lost the tournament’s first-place trophy.

Tundra Esports, who took home the 2022 Dota 2 International in a stunning 3-0 victory on Sunday, tweeted late on Monday night that it had lost the Aegis of Champions. “Guys, please help”, the team said, “Last night got a little out of hand, you won’t believe this but we lost the Aegis …”

Guys, please help.

Last night got a little out of hand, you won’t believe this but we lost the Aegis…

— TUNDRA (@TundraEsports) October 31, 2022

The official Dota 2 Twitter account posted in an attempt to help gather information on the missing trophy, stating that the Aegis was currently missing in Singapore, where the International took place, and encouraging fans to contact Tundra if they had any information. Naturally, fans and players of the game went into a frenzy, with many posting memes and jokes about who could have stolen the Aegis, despite Tundra and Dota 2 accounts seeming very serious about the missing trophy.

Selling Aegis, state your offers

— iceiceice (@iceiceicedota) October 31, 2022

Saw a sus guy holding it pic.twitter.com/l9872umkiy

— Rhomuell Bernardo (@Rhomuell) October 31, 2022

I had this one for awhile… but it was taken back. Oh, I also heard @iceiceicedota is trying to sell one! Maybe he has it now! ❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/72MVE1iYF5

— XxYanGirlxX (@xxYanGirlxx) October 31, 2022

In the end, however, it seems like it may not have been lost after all. Sharon Wang, a Valve employee whose position is listed on the company’s website as “the resident unicorn princess”, tweeted that she “almost had a heart attack” after seeing the Dota 2 tweet about the Aegis going missing after she had picked it up to be packed up. The Dota 2 Twitter account subsequently quoted Wang’s tweet, saying the Aegis had been found. Tundra also tweeted, firing off a sassy “As if we lost the aegis”, suggesting the whole ordeal might have been a big joke all along.

The 2022 International brought an end to the Dota Pro Circuit for the 2021-22 season, a season that’s been packed with action and controversy over the last year.

The International itself brought its own share of controversy last month after pro esports team Fnatic filed a formal report concerning “unfair advantages” that they believed caused them to be eliminated. The complaint alleged that some players could hear the match’s commentators, giving those players more information about the opposing team’s movements than would normally be presented in-game. Valve has yet to publicly comment on the complaint.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.