After their historic run at The International last year, many fans were hoping to see what OG would do next. They were at the top of the world, with more than 11 million dollars in their possession — millions that many thought they would never pocket.

No one gave OG a chance coming into The International 2018 and ranking them in the Top 10 was seen as overly optimistic by many. But after the biggest and most prestigious Dota 2 tournament came to an end, OG announced that their carry player Anathan “ana” Pham would take a long break from competitive play. To fill his role, the organization signed Per Anders Olsson “Pajkatt” Lille, but just days into 2019, news of OG releasing Pajkatt took center stage.

Pajkatt was part of OG for less than six weeks — 37 days to be more exact. Many thought the veteran carry player (of CLG, Alliance, Na’Vi, and OpTic Gaming fame) offered a good mixture of experience and leadership.

What could have been so wrong with this new line-up that the organization had to immediately find a different solution to their roster conundrum?

In a press release from OG, the organization cited chemistry issues while also praising Pajkatt for his mechanical skill, professionalism, and in-game knowledge. Not being on the same page as a five-man unit is a big problem, especially at this level of play. OG has since given Igor “iLTW” Filatov a trial for the full position. The young Russian carry player already played with OG on a couple of occasions throughout the Bucharest Minor qualifier and WePlay! Dota 2 Winter Madness.

The only chance we had of seeing Pajkatt and OG in action was at the Chongqing Major European qualifier, where they failed to rank in the Top 3. For a team that just made headlines for pulling off the upset of a lifetime at The International, that’s quite the disappointing result, and that might be an understatement.

The fact that there were three spots on the line definitely added insult to injury.

OG releasing Pajkatt probably won’t leave a long-lasting effect on the team as a whole. The void left by Anathan “ana” Pham is a big one. Filling that space will be a tall task for any player. But this revamped OG line-up already found some success at the Dota 2 Bucharest Minor qualifier, where they were able to secure the number one spot, and they’ll continue developing synergy at the Minor itself over the next couple of days.

If they manage to win, they will be directly seeded into the Chongqing Major held from January 19th to January 27th. Playing against the likes of Team Liquid, PSG.LGD and others would be an exciting test for the rejuvenated OG roster.

Going forward, OG’s roster is as follows:

• Igor “iLTW” Filatov — Carry
• Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen — Solo Middle
• Sébastien “7ckngMad” Debs — Offlaner
• Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka — Support
• Johan “N0tail” Sundstein — Support

OG releasing Pajkatt definitely took the online community by surprise, but was it a bad decision? So far it doesn’t seem like it, but the performance sample size we have is incredibly small, so giving an actual assessment simply isn’t possible. Not being able to find a common language is definitely an insurmountable problem.

In any case, if you’re an OG fan, watching them play with iLTW at the upcoming Dota 2 Bucharest Minor will be an absolute must.