Once you reach the peak of a competitive scene, there is an expectation placed on you by fans that never truly goes away—even if you step away from the scene. That applies doubly to teams with a fan base as large as OG’s Dota 2 division, which might continue part of its story from the two-time TI-winning days with a new roster.
While its current focus sits with the newer roster it picked up at the start of the 2022 Dota Pro Circuit, a secondary lineup has been leaked that includes two instantly recognizable names to longtime Dota fans—Topson and Noone.
Neither of these players has been away from the game for long periods, with Topson having come back from an extended break to join T1 for a failed run in the TI11 qualifiers and Noone playing on and off for a Natus Vincere roster that didn’t really get anywhere. Now, the two will join forces as the core duo for a new lineup going by Old G, which is supposed to be a more loose yet competitive approach to a secondary roster from OG.
While his name wasn’t on the initial leak from the official Dota 2 registration page, reports have this lineup being led by none other than n0tail in what will be his own competitive return. And, where n0tail goes, Ceb and some other classics might not be too far behind—though there haven’t been any signs of who else might be joining just yet.
As if things couldn’t line up even more perfectly for this to be true, in an October interview with Dot Esports, n0tail underlined the fact that he would be ready to play whenever he needed to as a possibility of an “old but gold run” was still in the books for OG’s founder. That statement plus the fact this Old G roster could be a play on the former Old but Gold CIS stack would make this truly full circle.
The main OG roster still has one spot to fill after parting ways with ATF, who just recently signed with Nigma, as it looks to build off of a strong first year.
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Meanwhile, this secondary roster looks to be the exact opposite of the old OG.Seed lineup that focused on growing young talent and will instead allow some proven hands to show that they still have a few cards up their sleeves. Expect more details and content out of Old G if and when OG properly confirms the lineup—which should happen before end-of-day on Dec. 9 due to the roster lock for 2023’s Winter DPC Tour.
Update Dec. 8 3:56am CT: The roster still hasn’t been officially announced, but two more players have been registered under Old G—including n0tail.
In addition to the rumored inclusion of n0tail being at least partially confirmed, former Quincy Crew mainstay Arif “MSS” Anwar is joining him as the second support player. This will be his first time playing in Europe outside of a brief stint with mousesports in 2014 that saw his team qualify for The International 2014.
He is also the second QC staple to make the jump to EU for the upcoming season after Soniqs dropped the roster, joining Quinn who signed with Gaimin Gladiators.
Update Dec. 8 7:35am CT: As the scrolls foretold, you can’t have n0tail without Ceb being around in some capacity.
According to the updated team registration, Ceb is the fifth and final player for Old G, meaning he is stepping out of his perpetual state of coaching, retirement, and stand-in status to compete once more. This likely means he will play offlane again while MSS and n0tail take on the support roles.
A full announcement is expected to drop before the roster lock on Dec. 9.
