After a series of poor performances at the beginning of 2025, the last being a failure in the qualification for ESL One Raleigh 2025, OG decided to radically revamp their roster. In May 2025, the team introduced yet another new lineup, primarily composed of second-tier players. The role of coach and mentor was taken by the legendary Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, who returned to active involvement with the team after a break.

First Look at the Roster

Indji "Shad" Lub

The Dutch carry player who joined OG on loan. Shad's last club was Natus Vincere, where he spent a rather unsuccessful half-year, qualifying with the team for only one tier-1 tournament, namely PGL Wallachia Season 3, where the team did not show a worthy result. In October, the player will turn 26, but throughout his career, he has not achieved significant results at tier-1, losing ground each year.

Daniel "Stormstormer" Schoetzau

The German mid player, who previously played for AVULUS. He has experience in international tournaments and is one of the few players to reach 15,000 MMR. His best result in the past six months was a 5-6th place finish at ESL One Bangkok 2024. Since April, he has been on a trial period with OG.

Mihajlo "MikSa" Jovanovic

A Serbian player who has previously played for various tier-3 and tier-4 teams. Mihajlo is already 25, but he has not achieved any significant results. Only N0tail could see potential in this player.

Tamir "Daze" Tokpanov

A Kazakh support player who previously played for the Natus Vincere academy. Like Stormstormer, he reached the 15,000 MMR mark, but unlike his teammate, he did it at 19 years old. His play is characterized by an aggressive style and good map understanding. He is the only player who remained from the previous OG roster.

Ivan "Kidaro" Bondarev

A Ukrainian player with experience playing for various Eastern European teams. Like Stormstormer, he was on a trial period last month. The best results of his career include victories in several tier-3 tournaments.

A New Chapter for N0tail

The legendary player and co-founder of OG returns to an active role in the organization after a long pause—this time as head coach and mentor. His main goal is not just to assemble a roster but to build a team from scratch, considering his own experience and past mistakes.

N0tail is actively shaping a new project, focusing on quality communication, strategic thinking, and the ability of players to not only act on intuition but also deeply analyze the game. He aims to create an environment where everyone can freely express themselves, exchange ideas, and develop not only as a player but also as a thinker of the game. Work on the roster is still ongoing, but the direction is clear—high individual skill combined with a deep understanding of Dota 2.

The main goal of the project is to qualify for The International and compete for top positions.

Prospects of the New Roster

Although the new OG roster looks promising, many believe the team is primarily composed of players from not even the second but the third tier. Recalling the organization's previous attempts to assemble a competitive roster, there is little faith in a positive outcome. Even a legend like N0tail does not inspire confidence.

After the announcement of the new OG roster, numerous discussions arose in the community. Many fans express skepticism about the team's potential, pointing out that most players have experience mainly at the tier-3 scene level. The only exception is Daze, whose age and level of play inspire trust. Other players, such as Kidaro and MikSa, have limited experience at the high level and have not demonstrated consistent results in the past.

Expectations for this roster are quite restrained. We assume that the current OG lineup will last about half a year, and the team's results are unlikely to exceed the lower part of the tournament tables. If the situation does not change, N0tail will have to reconsider the team's concept and seek new ways to return the club to the top of the Dota 2 pro scene.