In a historic turn of events, OG, widely regarded as the most successful Dota 2 organization in history, has experienced its first failure to secure a spot at the International (TI). The organization has been a consistent presence at Dota 2’s premier tournament since Johan was founded by “ N0tail ” Sundstein in late 2015, boasting two championship wins. However, in the TI12 Western Europe (WUE) qualifiers, OG suffered a surprising defeat, losing 2-1 to Quest Esports in the lower bracket.
OG appeared on the verge of winning a 2-0 series, but Quest’s strategic rat (split push) failed in their attempt to tactic in a critical moment of the game. With the series now tied at 1-1, OG opted for a high-speed lineup in the third game, aiming to secure a quick victory. However, Quest mounted a formidable defense and emerged victorious in the end.
With this unexpected elimination, the journey of the qualifier OG ends, when Quest advances to the next lower bracket round, where they will face Team Secret.
OG VS QUEST ESPORTS: MATCH RECAP AND HIGHLIGHTS
Game 1 was a classic TI qualifier battle that lasted over 60 minutes. It was mostly even, with both sides enjoying stable drafts. Uragi on Medusa was strong for OG, while TA 2000 and Na!OB were doing well for Quest. With networth leveling at 44 minutes, Quest’s notable teamfight triumph saw it unexpectedly climb to 47k networth at the 22nd minute mark. It looked like Quest had finally gained an overwhelming advantage, but OG held his own for a long time, refusing to let Quest finish the game. Yuragi was doing heavy damage, and OG was able to come forward in team fights several times over the next 40 minutes forcing Quest to take a rat step with three cores. With Glyph on cooldown,
In Game 2, Quest went with an all-range roster that included a carry templar assassin, a mid puck, and an offline visage. With some high burst damage available early on, the squad found kills and gained a slight advantage. Yuuragi, on the other hand, quickly farmed into Terrorblade with the help of CEB’s IO, which allowed him to get into teamfights early. Both teams were killed as a result of continuous clashes, but OG was very careful to reach the enemy’s high ground and deny the opponent damage, healing and aura to win in 58 minutes.
In Game 3, OG chose Luna to carry a lineup that revolved around him. Because the quest also had a carry Naga Siren, a mid Invoker, and an offline Earthshaker – all heroes that needed some item to make an impact – OG needed to top lane and then prioritize finishing goals early. Although the team had a good start, it focused more on farming, which allowed time for exploration to become stronger OG attempted an initial high ground attack but quickly realized that his opponents had top tier defenses and retreated. With a few kills here and there, Quest began to develop a lead, and when all his heroes had enough items, it went head to head with Og, defeating it in a handful of team fights to win in 44 minutes.
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Here are some highlights from the series.
The streak of successfully navigating tense situations and repeatedly reaching TIs finally came to an end for OG at the WWE Qualifiers of TI 12. Overall, OG had a tough year as it only managed one major out of three and performed poorly in other regional tournaments as well. Players have moved in and out of the roster this year as well, making things more challenging
In a final attempt to make it work, veterans just before the qualifiers. However, the pace and consistency just weren’t there. Although the team will now be on hiatus for the next few months, its roster situation will be more interesting to watch after TI12.
Quest, on the other hand, lives to fight another day and will face a strong opponent in Team Secret in the next round of the lower bracket on 31 August 2023.
