OG Dota 2: Disbanding Again

OG has been struggling to form a stable Dota 2 roster, and once again they are disbanding to start fresh. This last roster was formed on September 23rd and had successive underwhelming results in the various qualifiers that took place since then.

In the good old days, OG was the first organization to become a two-time TI champion and the only one to do it back-to-back to this day. Unfortunately, after their TI-winning roster retired, their results slowly declined to the point that their last roster failed to win a DreamLeague Division 2 tournament.

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This is one of the most heartbreaking stories in recent Dota 2 history. — Credit: Twitter (@OGesports)

OG Dota 2: Lots of Talent, No Results

Despite their best efforts, OG failed to return to the top of the Dota 2 professional scene since their last International victory. In the meantime, they did Dota 2 a valuable service by revealing fresh talent.

This reminds many fans of Alliance and how they assembled what eventually became the TI Champion Team Liquid roster. OG has a long history of discovering talent coming from pubs and anonymity — first with Miracle-, then Topson, Ana, and more recently revealing bzm and ATF.

ATF went from OG's new unknown offlaner to Falcons TI Champion in little over two years. - Credit: Flickr (dota2ti)

OG’s last Tier 1 victory came at ESL One Malaysia 2022, when ATF and bzm were still on the team. They managed to place Top 8 at The International that year, but not long after, another shuffle followed — and another, and another — gradually bringing their results down with every new iteration.

The Last Roster's Fast Demise

On September 23rd, OG tried to shake up Dota 2 once again with a multinational roster competing in Western Europe. OG placed 7th in the DreamLeague Season 27 Western European Qualifier out of eight teams, losing two straight matches in their debut.

After that, they failed to qualify for any Tier 1 tournaments and placed last at FISSURE Universe Episode 7. Lelis was let go shortly after that defeat, and N0tail even tried to step in as a stand-in to stabilize things — without success.

Lelis left early, but the party was already over for OG. — Credit: Twitter (@OGesports)

Finally, after placing 9th in DreamLeague Division 2 Season 1, the organization decided to pull the plug and start over. Their tweet announcing the disband stated, “This isn’t the end of the road for us in Dota 2, however...” but it’s getting harder to believe they will come back after so many failed attempts.

Closing Thoughts

OG has tried hard to return to Dota 2, but sometimes the best approach is knowing when it’s time to stop. Alliance had a very similar journey — TI champions who gradually fell short, revealed new talent to Dota 2, and then went into an indefinite hiatus.

While we respect and appreciate the organization’s legacy and contributions to the professional Dota 2 scene, it’s becoming clear that trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat isn’t working like it used to.

Will they ever manage to write their names on the Aegis again? — Credit: Reddit (u/1Entropycat)

On the other hand, Dota 2 desperately needs new talent, and OG could start rebuilding from the ground up. It’s uncertain how financially viable that path would be, but maybe the answer lies in developing a team of rookies from the bottom instead of throwing them straight into the top tier and hoping they survive.

It’s hard to accept that you’re no longer at the top — especially when you once were the champion — but that’s what Dota 2 is all about. Either way, we’ll keep watching OG’s next moves and rooting for them to return with the same magic performances they once brought to the game.

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@OGesports)