OG became the first team to be eliminated from the group stage of PGL Wallachia Season 3 in Dota 2. While expectations weren’t high for the revamped roster, their swift exit without winning a single series is still surprising. This is especially considering their opponents in the last rounds, including matches against teams led by Ceb. Let’s delve into just how bad things are for the current OG squad.
OG’s problems didn’t start at this tournament. The team is currently on an eight-series losing streak. Despite the vast experience within OG’s ranks, which should have helped them at a LAN event, especially against weaker teams, it didn’t materialize. PGL Wallachia Season 3 clearly demonstrated OG’s current inability to compete effectively.
Their first match at the tournament was disheartening, but their opponent was Team Spirit, a championship favorite. Miposhka’s Team Spirit easily defeated all group stage opponents 2-0, making it pointless to dwell on that series. Notably, OG only managed ten total kills across the two maps.
Losing to Spirit wasn’t critical, as the real test for OG was to come against more evenly matched teams. In the second round, they faced Wildcard Gaming and suffered a complete defeat on the first map. This may be due to OG neglecting to study a lesser-known opponent. The Dota 2 community knows Wildcard’s signature Venomancer pick, which they almost always win with, and struggle without.
It’s not like these Venomancer matches were ancient history or on a different patch. Just the day before facing OG, the North American team picked Venomancer against a favorite, Aurora, and easily won. How could OG have missed this and not ban it? It points to a lack of preparation.
However, the issue isn’t just about Venomancer. OG seems lost in drafts overall. They used 33 unique heroes in three series, more than teams who played four matches. This doesn’t suggest strategic depth, but rather a lack of clear understanding of how to play and with which heroes.
In the crucial map against Wildcard, OG picked Axe for Ceb. This hero is rarely seen in professional games, except when Ceb plays it. There are reasons for Axe’s unpopularity, including weak laning and late impact on the game. Ceb died once in lane but still had good farm, but his team suffered across the map, unable to get help. This situation highlighted the issue: while one team’s offlaner was actively initiating, the other’s was making pointless teleports, watching their cores die.
This isn’t about Ceb’s individual play, but about OG as a team failing to utilize their chosen heroes effectively. This team fight essentially lost them the map and the series. Wildcard snowballed, and OG couldn’t find a response.
The third series against Yellow Submarine became the epitome of OG’s helplessness. Yellow Submarine was a beatable opponent. Yet, OG lost not only in drafts but also in macro play, to a team with limited competitive experience among some players. It seems like OG players aren’t even communicating during games. After a small comeback and stabilization on the first map, they attempted an attack into enemy territory where their ward was placed. The idea was sound – catch the opponent off guard under their vision. But the execution was poor. OG couldn’t focus fire in the fight, 23savage was late to the fight and hesitant to engage, xNova was blocked and couldn’t cast spells, all while Nine’s Ravage was isolated and without follow-up.
OG generally struggles with game plans. They can win either through won lanes or opponent mistakes. Drafting issues and inconsistent player form (Daze’s frequent deaths) hinder the first approach. The second approach is also unreliable because opponents like Yellow Submarine made numerous mistakes, like giving away a significant advantage in the deciding third map, but OG still couldn’t capitalize.
A significant responsibility falls on Ceb. While individual performances are generally subpar across the team, Ceb’s issue is more fundamental: he’s out of sync with the game’s rhythm and unable to create opportunities. He doesn’t accumulate massive farm like ATF or 33, and he plays independently, constantly giving up initiative, with his initiations either late or rushed. OG’s tournament ended symbolically with such a rushed initiation from Ceb.
However, OG’s problems are too extensive to be solved by a single player change or position swap for Ceb. The club needs a major overhaul, or fans will soon question whether it’s worse to miss tournaments entirely or to attend and perform this poorly.
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