Right as Dota 2 fans around the world are gearing up for the start of The International 2023, OG is tearing down its current roster for a near-full rebuild after missing out on the event for the first time since being founded in November 2015.
In subsequent Tweets on Oct. 12, OG confirmed it was officially releasing DM and Taiga as their contracts with the team expired at the end of the season. Both players had previously been moved to the team’s inactive roster following a very middling season for the organization.
Taiga had multiple instances where his place on OG was called into question by rumors and a sudden break that threw the team kilter during the DPC’s Summer Tour. He was eventually placed on the inactive roster on Aug. 1 and allowed to join Wildcard Gaming during the North American TI12 Qualifiers—where the team finished fourth.
DM wasn’t benched until Sept. 14 after OG was bounced from the TI12 WEU Qualifiers in fifth place, ending the team’s season.
OG competed at DreamLeague Season 21 using MinD_ContRoL as a stand-in offlaner to pair with Yuragi, bzm, and its two newest additions, Kitrak and the once-again-unretired Ceb. Now, the team is left with those four remaining players as the Nigma Galaxy staple joins up with Team SMG in Seattle for a run at the Aegis.
Dropping DM and Taiga doesn’t signify much for where OG plans to take its Dota roster heading into the 2024 season since both players were already inactive.
There could still be some additional moves to come, but it is clear that the original post-n0tail experiment from 2021 is dead barring Yuragi and bzm if they end up sticking around. Kitrak could also stick, as he played well enough during his time with Ceb on Old G to earn a spot on the team for the TI qualifiers.
The biggest question is if Ceb will remain with the team full-time as a player or if this truly was his “last ride” for OG. Regardless of what is happening in the Sunflower House, we likely won’t hear more until TI12 ends on Oct. 29 and the post-TI roster shuffle fully kicks off for next season.
