The Man, The Myth, The Legend – ana Returns to OG

It’s that time of the year again. As Dota 2 fans, we have all grown accustomed to this tradition: ana leaves OG after The International, comes back in the second half of the season to help them qualify again, and then proceeds to carry them to a new Aegis of Champions. After the team did little to nothing during the regular season.

A Little Bit About ana

ana is a 21-year-old Australian who plays the carry role as few people can. He began playing when he was very young and has had a love-hate relationship with the game throughout the years. He loves winning but hates grinding. Especially when weaker teammates ruin his games. So he either plays a lot or doesn’t play at all, depending on his mood. He also seems to function really well when there’s a group of people who desperately need him but also give him a certain vibe. You might call it friendship.

ana is that guy in your team that you don’t need to control. You only need to unleash him and then let him do his thing. His alternate ID says it all: humblegod. Humble because he’s trying to be humble. And god because… well… ermm… you get the idea. His mixture of confidence, lack of patience, and skill makes him a volatile teammate but also someone you really want to have in your team. Few players can do what he does. And it’s not just mechanics or decision-making. It’s the whole package.

At The International 2019, ana’s unorthodox decisions saved OG more than once. And I’m talking about selling expensive items right before dying just to have enough gold for a game-saving buyback. Or make map rotations that would have casters gasp for air – what is this guy doing? Well, we’re not at his level so we can’t judge. But it has definitely been working.

ana and OG

ana’s story is inextricably linked to OG. He first joined the organization in 2016 and spent exactly one year there. You might think it’s not that long. But for him, it’s the longest he’s ever been professionally engaged to an esports org without discontinuing the relationship at some point.

2016 was the year that made ana famous globally. First he won The Boston Major in that memorable match against the Greeks from Ad Finem. Then, in the second half of the season (so in 2017), he finished 2^nd at Dota Pit League Season 5 and Dota 2 Asia Championships. And then he went on to win another big event: The Kiev Major. In effect, OG defeated Virtus.pro in their own region, and this was a formidable VP that we’re talking about. Probably the best in the organization’s history.

At The International 2017, OG finished 7^th – 8^th. A good result but a rather disappointing one for their expectations.

ana’s First Departure From the Team

ana left OG after TI 7. And the team was completely lost. OG simply didn’t do anything until he came back. But when he did, it was in their darkest hour. Fly and s4 had left the team in order to join Evil Geniuses. N0tail felt betrayed by his friend and had nobody to rely on.

And that’s when ana and another young player, almost unknown at the type, joined the squad. The second player was Topson and he did well most of the time. But it was ana who created the game-winning plays.

OG entered The International 2018 being ranked 18^th out of 18 teams. And they won. God knows how, but they did it. It was the most emotional performance I’ve seen in the history of Dota 2. Even esports as a whole. In fact, I cannot think of a single huge event in which the least likely to succeed ends up being the champion after a spectacular run. But OG did it and will forever remain in the esports history books because of that.

ana’s Second Departure From the Team

ana left again. And it was understandable. He didn’t like grinding and small events didn’t mean much to him. He only enjoyed playing under pressure, as an underdog, when it mattered most. So after he won the biggest trophy in Dota 2, he had no reason to continue playing. Even though he was just 18-19 at the time.

Another disastrous season followed for OG, who did absolutely nothing worth mentioning. Until ana came back. He rejoined them in March 2019 and at the end of August they were TI champions again. And with this second Aegis of Champions, OG became the first team in the history of Dota to win The International twice. Nobody had ever done it, and OG managed to do it at consecutive editions!

ana’s Third Departure From the Team

Needless to say, ana left OG again after this second TI victory. Maybe not officially, but it was obvious for everyone that he was no longer competing seriously. Around the same time, JerAx retired. And this is how we ended up with a new version of OG, one that often played well and even managed to qualify for Grand Finals of big events. But they never won anything significant after TI 9. To be fair, the current global crisis might have contributed to this as well. The fact still remains though: OG without ana is a different team.

The Return of a Hero

This year, 2021, has been a disaster so far for OG. The team failed to qualify for ONE Esports Singapore Major, which was one of the 2 Majors of the season. These Majors determine who will get direct invitations to The International 2021. So you don’t want to miss them if you’re a top team. Or at least, an aspiring one. OG finished the first season of DPC 2021 Europe Upper Division in 5^th place and only the top 4 teams qualified.

The second season starts on April 13^th and ana has been announced once again, as part of OG’s lineup. Will history repeat? Will he manage to do the impossible again? Time will tell.

 

Photo credit: Valve