Two-time International champion Anathan “ana” Pham has returned to OG. The organization unveiled the news in the small hours of the morning on Sunday, April 11th, with a corresponding post on their website.
Australia's best player ana is back and ready to help OG qualify for TI10. (Photo courtesy Valve)
The news, comes around three weeks after the departure of Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng on March 22nd. OG were left with a vacancy in their carry position as a result of MidOne’s exit. This fueled speculation that ana would return to competitive play to replace MidOne. Prior to his return, ana took an extended leave of absence from official matches, which started all the way in back in January 2020.
Ana’s historical success with the team should help the struggling OG as they look towards the next Dota Pro Circuit split. OG failed to qualify for the Singapore Major through the European regional league. They also struggled to maintain consistency in the glut of online-only events in 2020 prior to the arrival of the new DPC system.
Ana is Back in OG, But What About JerAx?
Whether or not OG will actually get better results with ana in the lineup remains to be seen. It is also worth noting that another part of OG’s two-time TI-winning roster, Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka, seems to have no intention of going back to professional play. JerAx has stated in the past that he is interested only in streaming for OG as of the moment. Both ana and JerAx were key components in the team’s back-to-back International title runs from 2018 to 2019, and to fans it will feel like the team isn’t quite complete without him. Current offlaner, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov will have to find a similar rhythm with ana as a result.
Still, there is no doubting ana’s sheer skill and confidence as a carry player. OG will be more than familiar with his playstyle, and his talent has been proven in two separate iterations of The International. His immense growth as one of the youngest active pro players means nothing but good things for this team. Ana’s return will also undoubtedly please OG fans everywhere, especially given that he is coming back not just to play at TI10.
“So what can I say… playing with ana has always been special for me,” said team captain Johan “n0tail” Sundstein in the announcement post. “It’s great to have him back and I look forward to seeing what we can do together.”
OG’s current roster therefore is as follows:
- Anathan “ana” Pham
- Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen
- Sébastien “Ceb” Debs
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Johan “n0tail” Sundstein
Ana and OG are set to compete in the DreamLeague Season 15 DPC EU Upper Division from April 13th.
