Esports
OG’s turbulent season ultimately ended in qualification to The International, but how did the new roster mesh? Find out from Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka himself.
There aren't many people who would've predicted what was to come following the aftermath of the Birmingham Major. The foundations of OG in Tal ‘Fly’ Aizik and Johan ‘n0tail’ Sundstein were shaken, as the Israeli captain announced his departure, with Gustav ‘s4’ Magnusson joining him on a new look Evil Geniuses roster. It’s safe to say that OG were left in a predicament.
A depleted roster with just n0tail, Seb ‘7ckngMad’ Debs and Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka remaining would face the daunting prospect of European Open Qualifiers and then Regionals. With just one spot available for the region, other talented rosters emerging, and the do-or-die nature of TI qualifiers, there was a huge need to secure players who would provide the best possible chance to qualify for The International 8.
Anathan ‘ana’ Pham is no new name to OG fans. The immense young Australian was part of a double-Major-winning OG roster that sadly couldn’t perform at The International last year. He returned to the roster in a slightly different role, heading from the middle lane to the safe lane. Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen, a more unknown entity completed the roster, taking up middle lane duties. n0tail returns to the support role, while 7ckngMad moves to an offlane role completing a whirlwind few months for the legendary French coach.
If truth be told, the road to The International was not as stressful as many anticipated. The Open Qualifiers were a breeze for a squad as talented as OG and they also made short work of the Regional Qualifiers. Wind and Rain provided the biggest challenge in what was otherwise as comfortable a run as a team could hope to have on their way to Dota’s biggest tournament.
Now, the new look OG roster are set to take to the biggest stage in Vancouver. The prize pool is well over US$20m and the prestigious Aegis of Champions awaits. The roster looks slick and devilsomely efficient like OG at their best, so they'll certainly be a prospect in Canada. Now there’s no hefty weight of expectation, who knows exactly how the team will fare? We spoke to legendary four player JerAx about the last few months.
How would it feel to face off against Fly and S4? Do you think it’d be bittersweet at all, or do you think they’re just more opponents to beat?
We used to face off quite often a couple years ago, and I like to think that we're just going back to that. There’s no big rivalry with either player. As long as Sweden doesn’t win, then Topson and I have done our national duty under the white flag striped in blue!
We know the past year has been tough. How have you guys adapted and pushed on forward? Where did you find the motivation to push on?
Right before the qualifiers, we mentally switched gears and had a fresh look at the present moment. It could have easily affected us if we had the mindset of, ‘Oh, no, we might not make it to TI this year’. Instead of that, we focused daily on how we can improve and did our best with the time we had.
Tell us about your qualifiers run; you guys stomped through – has that given you a boost of confidence ahead of the big event itself?
I didn’t consider it a big stomp. Most of those teams improved a lot throughout the qualifiers and they gave us trouble. What might have caused the games to look like stomps is the current meta in Dota. But all in all, it was a big boost of confidence, as we are given the chance to compete at the highest level.
Has getting through the qualifiers allowed you guys to gel even more as a team?
We didn’t get to spend time together after the qualifiers, as most of us had no real break for the longest time. We had built some good habits for the qualifiers, and as we start practising again, we have to remind ourselves about those.
The International hasn't been a great event for OG in the past; do you think it'll be different this year? Do you think there’s any pressure at all?
Players say often that only one team leaves happy after every TI, and put a lot of pressure on their shoulders. Sure, there's a lot on the line, but personally I’ll only think about that after there are no more games to be played. We approach the tournament as underdogs, and will fight for every game, just like before.
Who do you think will pose the biggest threats and the most difficult challenges for you guys?
I’m going to treat each team the same way. I’m looking forward to playing all of them.
