Thunder Awaken is a professional Dota 2 esports team based in Peru. Formed in 2018, they quickly become one of the top teams in the South American region, and 2022 is the year that has been their greatest thus far.
Going into 2023, they are once again back to square one, after completing the best season for a South American team in history.
Thunder Awaken’s Success in DPC 2022
Thunder Awaken has had notable success in a variety of tournaments, including the BTS Pro Series S10 Americas, ESL One Stockholm 2022, and winning all three Tours of Dota Pro Circuit 2022 (DPC 2022).
While all these are great accomplishments, nothing tops Thunder Awaken’s amazing journey at the International 11 (TI11). Placing fifth at TI Championship is a new record in South American Dota 2 history, which surpassed its predecessors, Infamous’ seventh place at TI9.
One of the keys to Thunder Awaken’s success has been the strong performances of its star players. The team’s roster includes players such as Crhistian “Pakazs” Casanova and Farith “Matthew” Huamancaja, who are considered some of the best Dota 2 players in the region.
Additionally, many fans attributed TA’s success to the roster’s synergy. For the uninitiated, TA signed the NoPing esports’ roster for their DPC 2022 season. This came as no surprise, considering NoPing stood out as a phenomenal candidate to qualify for TI10 last year.
South America earning worldwide fandom
In addition to its competitive achievements, Thunder Awaken is reputable for its strong commitment to its fans. The team regularly streams its matches and practices on Twitch, and is active on social media, engaging with its followers.
This is a contrast to five years ago when fans called out Valve to reduce SA teams’ invite allocation to majors. If anything, it is a testament of SA region’s growth over the last couple of years. Of course, having loyal fans alone wouldn’t contribute to a region’s success without phenomenal players, but it’s putting SA region in the spotlight.
As such, we are looking at a surge in eager powerhouses building their Dota 2 division out of this region.
Evil Geniuses is notoriously the most recognized powerhouse to nurture SA talents over its former North American household names. Western European powerhouse, Alliance also built its own sister team based in SA. It picked up the complete line-up of Hokori, yet another staple in DPC South American region.
Thunder Awaken seeks a full re-build in 2023
Overall, Thunder Awaken was a formidable force in the world of Dota 2 esports in South America, at least until the end of the year 2022. However, the fame and glory might not last going into the new season after TA players disbanded for other teams. The remnants of former TA roster, Pakazs, Matthew, and Jose “Pandaboo” Hernandez, now compete for EG. Whereas Herrera “DarkMago” Gonzalo and Rafael “Sacred” Yonatan are in beastcoast.
The new roster seems promising, but is untested at the highest levels yet.
As such, it is the end of a glorious era for Thunder Awaken, after considerably the best performance from a SA team. Nevertheless, with young blood and commitment, this team could live up to its predecessors in the upcoming DPC 2023.
