BetBoom cheating scandal puts Tundra in Bali upper bracket

Fans of BetBoom will remember the Bali Major as a dark day in the team’s history, as cheating has taken away the team’s place in the upper bracket.

Game two of Tundra versus BetBoom at the Bali Major was one of the greatest Dota 2 esports matches ever played, but it turned out to be for nothing. In yet another instance of accused foul play, BetBoom has been found guilty of cheating in the series, and the squad’s win has been entirely revoked. Here’s what the cheating accusations are all about and how both teams will proceed through the tournament.

The game in question was a slobber knocker match between the two top-tier squads in the opening round of the Bali Major playoffs. After a solid game one for BetBoom, the team tried, failed, and tried again to overcome Tundra’s insane base defense in a game lasting over 100 minutes. The match featured a phenomenal Rubick performance from Leon “Nine” Kirilin, but it was ultimately unable to match a triple Divine Rapier-equipped Snapfire piloted by Danil “gpk” Skutin. After 103 minutes of carnage, BetBoom clinched game two off a mass buyback and Dark Rift from Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko.

However, a day after the match was resolved, tournament host Epulze released a statement invalidating the grueling victory. According to the host, Pure was found guilty of tabbing out during a lengthy pause and checking the game’s official stream.

This is explicitly forbidden in the rules, as it allows a player to see enemy hero positioning, wards, objective timings, and more. Pure himself was banned from the tournament, and BetBoom would drop to the lower bracket with Roman “Resolut1on” Fomynok standing in. This could potentially be the second time that Pure has cost his team a chance at The International.

What happens to BetBoom and Tundra at the Bali Major?

BetBoom is out of the Bali Major after its cheating scandal, but Tundra now has a serious chance to make the podium.

After BetBoom’s win was reversed, the team was set to go against Azure Ray in the lower bracket. The series went to three games but ultimately ended in the Chinese team’s favor. BetBoom is now out of the Bali Major at 9th place, and is not guaranteed to attend The International.

Tundra Esports, meanwhile, has slipped back into the upper bracket and is scheduled to play against Team Liquid today, July 6. The winner of that series is guaranteed a slot in the top four, with the loser surviving in the lower bracket. Both teams are already guaranteed for TI this year, but the winner will earn a significantly larger chunk of the $500,000 prize pool.