OG overcame every challenge to win The International 2018. They also broke all records to do it again in 2019.
So can OG win three years in a row at The International 10?
This is a question asked by many fans and is difficult to answer. OG has a new roster and has only been playing together for a while.
Who is currently playing on the OG roster?
The OG roster took a long break after The International 2019.
They didn’t attend the first two Majors and were mostly tight-lipped about their futures. Fans aren’t sure what OG’s next plan is, and it’s possible that even the OG players don’t know. OG launches two OG Seed rosters to represent the organization and sponsors in multiple tournaments where the main OG roster does not participate.
Official news about the team’s future was only announced at the end of January 2020, nearly 6 months after the TI9 championship. The organization said that Sebastian “Ceb” Debs, Jesse “JeRax” Vainikka, and Anathan “ana” Pham will either retire from the competition indefinitely or retire entirely. That forced OG to rebuild from scratch with two old members, but fans were happy to see new names joining the old lineup:
- Syed “SumaiL” Hassan
- Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen
- Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Johan “N0tail” Sundstein
N0tail and Topson are the only two members to return to the TI8 and TI9 roster, but the team now has some of the best talent in Dota 2 in the world.
SumaiL established himself as one of the best mid players in the world during his time with Evil Geniuses. He was benched after TI9 and neglected for months, then found a place at OG.
MidOne was once a key member of Team Secret, serving as mid from 2016 to 2019. During this time, MidOne brought home a ton of impressive trophies, including three Major titles and many other tournaments.
Saksa doesn’t have an impressive track record like SumaiL, or MidOne, but he has established himself as a world-class player. He has long been at the top of the European MMR rankings and was a finalist at The International 2016 with Digital Chaos.
How does OG’s new lineup play?
Impressive new OG lineup. Less than two weeks after the announcement, the team did not face much difficulty in the open and closed European qualifiers to qualify for the ESL One Los Angeles Major. This comes as the Europe region is considered to be very competitive, while OG won 2-0 against many strong opponents.
Difficulties came when the LA Major was postponed and many Dota 2 tournaments changed to an online format. Flight restrictions left Topson stranded in Southeast Asia after he visited his girlfriend on vacation, and forced MidOne to take a long-term break from competition after returning home. OG continued to operate, but was forced to use many different members, causing the player role to be changed.
It took over three months for the full OG roster to come together and when they came back, they weren’t as strong as they used to be.
OG participated in ESL One Birmingham 2020 online, finishing 13th in the 16-team tournament. Second place BLAST Bounty Hunt showed signs of recovery, but poor performance happened again at BEYOND Epic. At the time of writing, the team is on a 6-11 record.
The cause of struggling form is debated, and many factors are thought to be contributing factors.
OG’s inability to train effectively together was cited as the reason for their poor performance. MidOne and SumaiL are lagging because they have to play on the European server while they live in another part of the planet. Meta 7.26 focuses on split push, a gameplay that doesn’t match OG’s signature team fight style. In addition, OG also had to adjust during the period of using substitutes in the online tournament.
Can OG win The International 10?
Strong teams have many types. Some crush every opponent on their way to absolute championship, as was the case with Newbee in 2014. Some have extremely high quality players like Team Secret 2016 but failed to win as fans expected.
Therefore, you should not bet on OG right away, just because they have talented superstars in the team.
In addition, N0tail is one of the best Dota 2 players in history and OG is the highest earning esports team: they compete at their best in the heaviest tournaments. OG has four Major titles and two The International titles, but the team has only won a few minor titles, far fewer than strong teams in the same age group.
Even when the team plays at their peak, they still don’t last as long as Alliance did back in 2013.
So can OG win The International 10? The answer is yes, however the current boys may not be considered championship contenders.
OG is ready to face any opponent when they are well prepared. Even the less well-known teams can go deep at The International when form suddenly explodes and understand the current meta of the game: like CDEC Gaming in 2015. Teams need to find the right formula for success at the right time. and possess innate talents to bring about the greatest rewards. Despite the fascinating fairy tale journey, CDEC finally lost to Evil Geniuses in the final.
It is very difficult to confidently choose which team will win The International. The main contenders for the tournament were rarely chosen, despite all previous signals that they would win. Maybe OG’s biggest chance will come when they’re not seen as a strong team like the previous two TIs?
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