THOUGHTS | OG - THE ALL-PINOY VERSION

OG ended their PGL Wallachia Season 6 campaign in disappointing fashion. That said, I don’t really know if the outcome is a good thing or a bad thing, because man, I really hope they can sustain this performance and translate it to the next tournaments.

Because here’s the thing: it’s been a while since there has been a Southeast Asian powerhouse in the world of DOTA, and now, we finally have one. And the best thing about this is that it combines two of my favorite things — a team predominantly Pinoy making waves, and OG, arguably one of the most recognizable teams in the world of competitive DOTA.

I guess it’s safe to say that OG will never be the OG we love unless the team consists of Notail, Ceb, Topson, Jerax, and Ana. That said, over the years, the team has had great players like Saksa, Sumail, MidOne, 23savage, and ATF. However, the team has also had a lot of failed experiments, ranging from their development team to their flawed incarnations.

I guess this is the reason why they ditched Europe for the SEA server — with all the best teams in Europe and with the lack of dominating players in Southeast Asia. And I guess this was a successful move, since the group consisting of TIMS, skem, Natsumi, Nikko, and Yopaj almost surprised people at the PGL Wallachia Season 6 tournament. It has been a long time since we’ve seen a Pinoy team get out of the group stages, and to reach the Top 6 at that. They also won against the likes of Parivision, Heroic, and BET Boom, and had brushes with the likes of Team Liquid, whom they almost defeated, had it not been for the unfortunate Divine Rapier mistake.

It’s insane that the item that TNC capitalized on when they drubbed OG in The International 2016 was the same item that caused their downfall against Team Liquid when the all-Pinoy team played as OG almost a decade later.

While the all-Pinoy core are seasoned veterans, the Philippines, much like in most sports we participate in, tends to have imposter syndrome when in a winnable situation. It has been the thing for some time now, especially since the level of competition in Southeast Asia has deteriorated.

I guess this is just who we are, and this is why we really love our Pinoy winners — whether it’s in sports, reality singing competitions, or beauty pageants. But again, this new version of OG had people talking. Even the original guys like Notail and Ceb were happy with what the team pulled off. Yes, they lost to Team Liquid, which led to their ouster from the tournament at the hands of MOUZ, but I think the future is bright for the quintet. And it’s not like they left empty-handed, winning 60,000 dollars as a reward for making the Top 6.

This is why I hope the OG organization will continue to trust this team and hold them dear for an extended period. I know Pinoy DOTA has a tendency to choke or get overwhelmed when the spotlight is on, but they also have a tendency to bounce back — especially when they have the support of the country.

That TNC squad victory from TI6 is still one of the most iconic moments in esports, and if they can replicate the Pinoy spirit with OG, then this would be awesome. I just hope they also adopt the OG mindset of delivering in the clutch, which will make this partnership even better.