At the ongoing Riyadh Masters 2025 Dota 2 tournament, a recent group stage series between Aurora Gaming and Tundra Esports concluded with a notable 1:1 draw. Following the match, Aurora`s offlaner, Nikita “Panto” Balaganin, took to his personal Telegram channel to offer some insights and reflections on the outcome.
While expressing a sense of lingering frustration that his team couldn`t secure a full 2-0 victory against Tundra, Panto highlighted a specific, rather unusual circumstance surrounding his midlaner, Gleb “kiyotaka” Zyryanov.
According to Panto`s post, kiyotaka faced an unexpected technical hurdle right at the start of the series. He was reportedly compelled to play the crucial first game against Tundra Esports using a spare, non-standard mouse. It was only for the second game that kiyotaka was able to revert to his usual gaming hardware.
Panto humorously drew a connection between this equipment change and the match results. Aurora lost the first game but bounced back to convincingly win the second, securing the 1:1 tie. Panto`s post included a lighthearted jab at the situation:
Played Tundra 1-1 😑
Overall, there`s a lingering feeling that we could have closed the series 2-0, after the first game we made the right conclusions on drafts and logically closed the second map without problems 🧠…Gleb played the first map without his mouse, and the second with it. Turns out, mouse diff 👍
This comment, using the common esports phrase “mouse diff” (short for “mouse difference”) implies, albeit jokingly, that kiyotaka`s unfamiliar mouse in game one might have played a role in Aurora`s loss, and returning to his preferred mouse for game two contributed to their dominant win. It`s a candid look behind the scenes, acknowledging how even seemingly minor hardware issues can be felt at the highest level of competition, while also poking fun at the concept.
The series against Tundra Esports adds to Aurora Gaming`s results in the group stage. On the opening day, Aurora secured a clean 2:0 victory over Team Yandex. With one series remaining in the group stage, Panto indicated that the team is focused on winning their final match 2-0 with the goal of potentially contending for the top spot in their group.
The Riyadh Masters 2025 is a premier Dota 2 tournament, part of the larger Esports World Cup 2025 event. Held in Saudi Arabia from July 8th to 19th, the tournament features 16 elite teams battling for a substantial $3 million prize pool.
