esports
After a turbulent few months – and no direct invite – OG are blazing a trail through the upper bracket at The International 8, the world’s biggest esports tournament. How did it happen?
Every Dota fan knows that a Chinese team is supposed to win TI8 – western teams only ever triumph in odd-numbered years. And sure, that could still happen: strong Chinese favourites PSG.LGD are in the Upper Bracket Finals. But to proceed, they’ll have to get past an on-form OG, currently in the midst of one of the most remarkable comebacks in all of esports.
OG, of course, aren’t your typical underdogs. They’ve won more of Valve’s official Major tournaments than any other team, and are the thirteenth most successful esports team of all time by prize money – in any game. But they’ve never replicated their success on the biggest stage of them all, Valve’s annual The International, with a crowdfunded prize pool of $24 million.
And this year has been the team’s most turbulent ever. After several years of relative continuity – an extreme rarity in the volatile world of pro Dota – OG were rocked by the sudden defection of Gustav 's4' Magnusson and longtime captain Tal 'Fly' Aizik to bitter rivals and former TI winners Evil Geniuses. And by parting ways with Roman 'Resolut1on' Fominok in March, with coach Sébastien '7ckngMad' Debs stepping into his role, the team made themselves ineligible for a direct invite to TI. Could they turn it around?
As if we should have doubted them. The team are now in the Top 3 at TI in Vancouver, with a guaranteed take home prize of $2.6m, or more than $11m should they take the Aegis with them too. It’s been a remarkable run since June for the team, who quickly got back up and reformed, bringing back former mid laner Anathan 'ana' Pham and signing a relative unknown, Finnish pub star Topias 'Topson' Taavitsainen (who perhaps caught the squad’s attention when he dumped them out of ESL One Hamburg qualifiers as part of SFTe-sports).
The team instantly gelled. OG received no special treatment, and had to fight their way through the regional qualifiers for Europe’s one open slot. The team then finished fourth in Group A in the TI8 group stage, taking the long way round to the TI8 Main Event this week.
Since then, OG defeated VGJ.Storm – and former teammate Resolut1on – with a 2-0 victory in which ana ran rampant. But the true test of the team’s new spirit came against Evil Geniuses in the upper bracket semis. Not only had EG defeated OG twice in the group stage round robin, but the former champions were now captained by Fly.
This was a grudge match, and it went the distance. Topson’s Invoker clinched game one, but OG stalled in game two, before turning things around in an incredible game three despite a huge gold deficit and relegating EG to the lower bracket.
OG now face PSG.LGD in the upper bracket final on Friday evening. EG could still come back to haunt the team in the losers’ final, but whatever the result, OG’s run at The International 8 has been little less than a fairytale, not to mention confirmation of the astonishing talent spotting abilities of Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein in scouting Topson.
“Playing with OG has been very rewarding,” Topson told us before TI. “I think we have very good team synergy and everyone enjoys playing with each other.”
Let’s hope he’s right: long live the new OG.
