Two-time former TI Dota 2 champion Anathan “ana” Pham quits professional Dota 2 play, OG announced on Twitter. The 21-year-old Australian decided to leave competitive play, less than a month before the Western Europe Regional Qualifiers. With ana leaving, two-time and defending TI Dota 2 champions OG are left without a carry. With less than a month left before the Regional Qualifiers, the last chance for teams like OG to qualify for The International 10, the team will have to find a carry player that can help them win in the double-elimination playoffs to punch their tickets to TI.
Ana leaving OG: an end of an era
.@anadota99 has decided to no longer compete in Dota 2.
It was truly a great honor to play with you, and have you by our side my friend.
Thank you for everything you have done for us.#DreamOG pic.twitter.com/vmmcRm74ue
— OG (@OGesports) June 14, 2021
Anathan “ana” Pham started his pro Dota 2 career in 2013 at the age of 14. In 2016, he joined OG, becoming part of the squad that would win multiple Majors. After The International 2017, he took a break from competition to focus on his studies, the first of many times that ana would stop to compete. But in 2018, ana returned to OG to form the TI-winning team, along with his teammates Johann “N0taiL” Sundstein, Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen, and Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka. They won the Aegis of Immortals in 2018, and successfully defended the championship in 2019.
The two-time TI champion decided to take another break from competitive Dota 2 after winning the championship a second time. His teammate JerAx would then declare his permanent retirement from pro play. But unlike JerAx, ana would return to compete again with the team for the Dota 2 Pro Circuit in 2021. However, without the legendary ganking skills of JerAx and an increasingly competitive Eastern European region, OG failed to qualify directly in The International 10. It is highly likely that OG will not be able to defend their Aegis in this year's The International, especially if they can't find a carry who can match the skills of ana.
New OG Dota 2 Roster
In pure OG fashion, our road to qualify to TI this year is not the smoothest.
A king’s help will be more than welcomed.@SumaaaaiL has accepted to once again hop on our train and give us a royal hand.
Welcome back, king. #DreamOG pic.twitter.com/jzrxWGN3WH
— OG (@OGesports) June 15, 2021
OG replaced a day later that SumaiL will return to the team to compete in the TI10 Qualifiers. The former TI champion will feel right at home back at OG's Bootcamp, as they try to regain their position in The International and defend the Aegis this year. With SumaiL arriving at the OG roster, that completes the Dota 2 team's TI10 lineup. It looks like this:
- Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan
- Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen
- Sébastien “Ceb” Debs
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Johann “N0taiL” Sundstein
That's seven TI championships between the five men in this stacked roster. Will they be able to beat teams like Nigma and Brame on their way to TI10?
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