9class Talks About zai’s role in Tundra Esports as General Manager

The role Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg has played since he was appointed Tundra Esports’ general manager has remained largely unclear to the Dota 2 community, given that there is already a coach in the form of David “Moonmeander” Tan Boon Yang. However, providing more clarity to this, Edgar “9Class” Naltakian, Tundra’s support player, spoke about zai’s involvement with the players during a recent Elite League interview. As he explained, zai’s current role is somewhat limited as he assists in drafts occasionally while providing motivational support for the players at other times.

9class outlines Zai’s engagement with the Tundra Esports players

In the interview that followed his team’s 2-0 win over Nigma Galaxy during Elite League’s Swiss stage, 9class was straightforward when asked about zai’s role as general manager for Tundra.

“I don’t know what zai does outside the team. We don’t work with him much. He comes in sometimes and helps us with drafts. He might say a few nice words and motivate us, that’s all. I don’t know what else he does.”

Zai was appointed Tundra’s general manager in February 2024, a move that was welcomed by the community since it signaled the former Liquid player’s return to competitive Dota 2 in some capacity after he had retired just a few months ago following The International 12. It was unclear, however, what the general manager would do for the team, as the role is not very well known within the ecosystem.

The signing attracted controversy when the team’s offlaner Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov abruptly left, citing the presence of multiple voices and leaders within the squad, with zai’s appointment adding to the issue. However, MinD_ContRoL later issued an apology for making allegations against Tundra that implied the organization had mistreated him.

Since then, Tundra has been mostly playing on the offlane with Tobias “Tobi” Buchner. The performances have been impressive, with qualifications achieved for DreamLeague Season 23 and PGL Wallachia Season 1.

In Elite League, Tundra has rebounded strong following the initial loss to Heroic and currently has two victories after three series. Tundra will require one more win from any of the two potential series to advance to the next stage of the event.