We are in the final days before rosters lock for The International 2023 qualifiers and it looks like OG is swinging for the fences, dropping Taiga as the organization shakes up its backline.
OG moved Taiga to its inactive roster on Aug. 1 while it finalizes its search for a new support player to join the recently un-retired Ceb. The organization has noted that the Norwegian player is free to explore other roster options heading into TI qualifiers, where he will likely be loaned out to play with an interested party.
Taiga joined OG in November 2021 when the org shifted away from its multi-TI championship core and started building out a new roster of talent from across Europe. He helmed the team as its hard support for two Dota Pro Circuit seasons, but the squad has seen mixed results during that span.
He helped OG win its historic fifth Major title, but they fell short at TI11 with a seventh-place exit. From there, the team never really captured that 2022 magic again and only qualified for a single Major this season, finishing fifth in Berlin and failing to get enough DPC points for a TI12 invite.
Related: Dendi blasted by former Dota 2 teammate for not paying DPC players and being ‘low skill’
According to OG’s offlaner DM, the team struggled with roster inconsistencies throughout the year, including Taiga himself announcing that he would be taking a break from the team just hours before the first DPC Summer Tour series for his team. This led to a series of confusing fan theories about what was going on with OG to brew, all while OG dropped out of Major contention.
That inability to field a stable roster extends beyond that recent example too, as team captain Misha left the active roster to resume his role as coach mid-season only to be replaced by their other coach Chu—an experiment that did not work out. Several stand-ins also had to be used at different events due to the inconsistent roster and some visa issues, which didn’t help the situation.
With Ceb’s return to the active lineup, OG has added an element of stability that all three of its remaining players have experience playing with. Whoever the team brings in as their fifth member will likely slot right into that same dynamic.
As for options, Misha could step back into the roster since he also has experience working with Ceb as a player and coach while Kartik “Kitrak” Rathi from Ceb’s Old G lineup could do the same. Some fans are hoping for n0tail to return from his not-retirement, though that seems highly unlikely at this time.
OG has until Aug. 10 at 2pm CT to lock in its roster for the TI12 qualifiers, which kick off on Aug. 17.
Related: Paparazi retires from Dota 2, leaving Xtreme Gaming without legendary laner before TI12
