Saksa, SumaiL leaving OG after disappointing run in TI10

OG is set to look very different in 2022, with the organization announcing that Martin “Saksa” Sazdov and Syed “SumaiL” Hassan are set to leave the Dota 2 team.

OG had a relatively disappointing run in The International 2021, with the team finishing in eighth place. That flop has led to a major shakeup in the team, with SumaiL and Saksa both departing. The organization stated that both SumaiL and Saksa made the decision to leave in a statement on its website.

“Both of them are incredible players and even better teammates. I am sure they will have a transformative effect in any organization they chose to join and they will continue to prove their world class talent. Martin, Sumail, you will be missed. Thank you for sharing this adventure with us and thank you for always being warm and kind to us all,” OG CEO JMR Luna said in a statement.

Saksa, SumaiL, and Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng all joined OG in early 2020 as replacements for retiring players from the two-time The International championship-winning roster. Following the cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit in 2020 and implementation of global travel restrictions, the team was left in an awkward spot competitively due to multiple players being stuck overseas. 

When Sebastian “Ceb” Debs announced his return to competition, it resulted in SumaiL being kicked from the team. ana’s return led to the dismissal of MidOne, but his re-retirement led to SumaiL’s return to OG for the TI10 qualifiers.

Though an eighth-place finish is objectively a very strong one for the team, OG was positioned to undergo major changes regardless. 

SumaiL, Saksa leave OG as Ceb likely retiring again

SumaiL and Saksa leaving OG comes as Ceb seems poised to once again step away from Dota 2 competition. Alongside this, Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen indicated he may take an extended break from Dota 2 competition following TI10. If this comes to pass, only Johan “N0tail” Sundstein would be left on the OG roster.

It’s uncertain what would come of this. There are an abundance of strong free agents in Dota 2 right now, particularly in Europe. There’s no question N0tail alone could attract a star-studded roster if he wanted to.

It’s also possible N0tail could take a break from competition, but if he does so, it will lead to OG being forced to work its way through open qualifiers in the Dota Pro Circuit. If that’s the case, Dota 2 fans may have to wait a long time before seeing OG competing against top opponents again.

As for Saksa and SumaiL, odds are that they will have little trouble finding another top team to play for.