Tal "Fly" Aizik first began competing at a serious level in Heroes of Newerth. Alongside Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, he found strong success in the game’s pro scene before being sponsored by Fnatic. The two posted strong results during the games final years, most notably winning numerous DreamHack events.
As HoN faded, N0tail, Fly, and the rest of the Fnatic team transitioned to Dota 2 in 2012, replacing Fnatic’s original roster. Following The International 2012, the team found strong success with high placements in a number of events including taking first at Thor Open 2012. That steady success earned the team a direct invitation to The International 2013, which the squad then converted into a top-eight finish.
The Fnatic roster stayed completely intact in the following season and continued on a similar trajectory, showing it was capable of great things with victories at such events as the XMG Captains Draft Invitational and MLG T.K.O. Europe while struggling to perform elsewhere. It still performed well enough to earn a direct invitation to The International 2014, but was eliminated from the group stage of the event.
Fnatic’s roster dissolved from there, with Fly and N0tail splitting from Fnatic in order to join Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi on the inaugural Team Secret roster. Secret instantly had the look of an elite Dota 2 team, but Fly left the team suddenly in December, with N0tail following a few weeks later. Fly’s girlfriend, Evany Chang, later stated that this stemmed from Secret withholding money from its players.
Fly and N0tail split at the time, with Fly competing for the talented but unsuccessful MeePwn’d. He eventually transitioned to the North American scene by joining compLexity Gaming. The team’s performance was uneven, but it managed to qualify for The International 2015. The team was eliminated early from the event, which led to Fly’s departure.
Fly reunited with N0tail, forming (monkey) Business. The team was successful early and rebranded to OG after qualifying for the Frankfurt Major. OG won that event and kicked off what would become a dynastic run for the organization. A number of live tournament wins followed including DreamLeague Seasons 4 and 5, ESL One Frankfurt 2016, and the Manila Major.
That established OG as one of the favorites to win The International 2016, but the team shockingly suffered an early elimination from the event.
Everyone except for Fly and N0tail split from OG after the event, but OG rebuilt and re-established itself as a top team by winning the Boston Major. This established Fly and N0tail as the first players to win three Valve-sponsored tournaments.
OG remained strong into 2017, with Fly and N0tail extending their record for most Valve tournaments won by taking first at the Kiev Major. This saw OG enter as one of the top candidates to win The International 2017, but the team again underwhelmed at the event with an eighth-place finish.
The team stayed largely intact after this, but the departure of carry player Anathan “ana” Pham led to a huge dip in performance from OG. The team’s performance worsened as the year went on, which was highlighted by a 13th-place finish at the 2018 Dota 2 Asia Championship. After another poor performance after ESL One Birmingham 2018, Fly left OG and N0tail behind in order to join Evil Geniuses.
The move was regarded as a betrayal of his longtime friend by many Dota 2 fans, but it ultimately paid off for both sides. Despite weak performances in the China Dota 2 Supermajor, both teams made it through the qualifiers for The International 2018.
Fly and N0tail faced off in the upper bracket semifinals of the tournament, with OG winning. A frosty post-game handshake between the two became one of the most memorable scenes of the event. Fly and EG finished in a relatively successful third place at the event, but N0tail and OG won the championship.
Evil Geniuses’ roster stayed intact for the 2018-2019 Dota Pro Circuit season, with Fly continuing to captain the team. The team posted third-place finishes at the Kuala Lumpur Major, Chongqing Major, and MDL Disneyland Paris Major. This earned the team a direct invitation to The International 2019, where it finished in the top six.
The organization shook up its Dota 2 roster following the event, though Fly remained aboard as captain. The team started its next season strong by taking fourth at the MDL Chengdu Major and second at DreamLeague Season 13.
