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Team OG with Ceb may have a shot at TI12 Qualifiers
It goes without saying that Team OG is merely a husk of its former glory, especially in their current state. We already discussed at length if Ceb should stand-in for OG beyond DreamLeague S20, and it seems Team OG agrees. Their only achievement this season was a top five finish at the ESL One Berlin Major 2023. Even then, it was with the contribution of a seasoned stand-in, Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov.
Ceb returning to the active roster may turn things around.
Image source: OG
Team OG had their worst season to date
Looking back at OG this season, one thing that they probably have done right was keeping most of their players around. Notably, Artem “Yuragi” Golubiev, Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov, Mikhail “Misha” Agatov (now coach) and Tommy “Taiga” Le have been on OG’s roster since the year 2021. Hence, it wouldn’t do them justice to say they didn’t have the potential to be a top team in Western Europe.
In fact, this roster once won the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 and the ESL One Malaysia 2022. Additionally, they also placed seventh at TI11.
However, DPC 2023 has been OG’s darkest times as they miss out on qualifying for majors. One notable reason that fans established for OG’s downfall was Taiga’s worsening mental health, as he openly admitted. And it’s easy to see why fans put the blame on the pos-4 player, considering OG frequently had to play with a stand-in throughout the Tour 3 of DPC 2023.
Ceb returns, Taiga exits
We got a glimpse of Sébastien “Ceb” Debs at the Riyadh Masters 2023, where he played as pos-4 (Taiga as pos-5). Although OG was eliminated prematurely in the group stage, Ceb’s return could spell out hope for the crippling OG. Moreover, OG confirmed Ceb’s official return to the active roster for the upcoming TI12 regional qualifier just days ago. We saw the Ceb Effect when he stand-in at the Stockholm Major 2022, so fans are certainly excited, to say the least.
Alongside that news was Taiga’s unfortunate departure from OG, a much-needed roster update for the team. Interestingly, OG did not announce who will be Taiga’s replacement as the pos-5 hard support player and likely captain of OG.
N0tail is an option
Among the many player options in the pos-5 category, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein is arguably the most anticipated for OG fans. Considering how close the upcoming TI12 Regional Qualifiers are, desperate times call for desperate needs. N0tail has been inactive since 2021 and has been enjoying his retiring days. For the two-time consecutive TI Champion, perhaps a third TI victory might sound rather motivating to pursue after his two-year hiatus.
Image source: OG
Can OG qualify for TI12?
Even with N0tail and Ceb on the frontlines, truthfully, OG’s chance of qualifying for TI12 is still low. For one, there have been many new and competent rivals in the Western European scene, namely Quest Esports.
Quest Esports achieved fourth place in Bali Major 2023 and is hailed as one of the Big Four WEU Powerhouses. They stand alongside Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid and Tundra Esports in terms of performance, so everyone’s rooting for the newcomer squad to debut at TI12.
Then, there are also the likes of decent opponents, such as Entity, Team Secret and Old G, that could give OG a run for their money.
Read next: Dota 2 The International 2023: Event Guide & History
