Og Overcomes the Odds With Victory at the Stockholm Major

OG came into the 2022 Stockholm Major as one of the strongest teams. People assumed that they were coming in as the team that dominated the Western Europe qualifiers. Unfortunately, captain Mikhail ‘Misha’ Agatov and coach Evgenii ‘Chuvash’ Makarov had to face visa issues.

The absence of both Misha and Chuvash was significant for OG because they were the brains behind the operation. They were the two main minds during every hero draft and Misha was the backbone for their laning phase since he was the hard support that ensured the game went smoothly with his warding and positioning.

Thankfully, former OG superstars Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs and Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein were ready to step up. Ceb took over Misha’s support role while N0tail served as the interim coach. This was a big change for OG because they were used to being known as Misha’s team.

OG was not a favourite in the esports betting markets heading into the event due to these circumstances. However, OG managed to overcome the odds yet again as they won the Stockholm Major over TSM.FTX in the grand finals. Now, let’s look into what led to their surprising victory.

Ceb steps up as the stand-in support

During OG’s The International-winning runs in 2018 and 2019, Ceb was primarily known as an offlaner. Before that, he was OG’s coach and the primary strategic mind behind the scenes.

At this event, Ceb was thrust into the hard support role which he has not played for a long time. He had not played the role for a long time which was why some people were surprised that he stood in for Misha and not N0tail who is a natural position five.

Despite the doubt, Ceb managed to be the gamechanger for OG. His performance on Windranger was one of the biggest reasons behind OG’s victory. His usage of WR’s Shackleshot and Gale Force turned the tide of multiple games which led to many victories.

OG’s young stars continue to prove themselves

Carry player Artem ‘Yuragi’ Golubiev was only 19 years of age when he was recruited to OG while Bozhidar ‘bzm’ Bogdanov and Ammar ‘ATF’ Al-Assaf were only 16 years of age when they joined the team in November 2021.

They lived up to the hype as the youngsters proved that they were not just promising players but they are among the best in the world. ATF, in particular, dominated almost every match as he showcased his supremacy over the other offlane players at the Major.

Taiga emerges as a world-class playmaker

While Tommy ‘Taiga’ Le was already a known player during his time with Alliance and Team Liquid, he truly emerged as one of the best position four players in the world at the Major. His performances on heroes like Snapfire, Enigma, and Viper proved that he is not only an elite playmaker but he works well with his teammates too.

OG is a top contender heading into TI11

This was an amazing performance from the entire OG squad. While Ceb performed at the highest level and N0tail was helpful as the coach, they still credit both Misha and Chuvash for helping them prepare for the drafts. The strategic duo were not present at the Major itself but their influence was still there as they continued to cement their value to OG.

If you are partaking in esports betting, you should have OG pencilled in as one of the favourites for TI11 in Singapore. The European team has already won a Major and they are looking for more success in the future with a complete lineup.