OG’s Filipino roster continues to defy expectations in the professional Dota 2 scene. John “Natsumi-” Vargas, Erin Jasper “Yopaj” Ferrer, Nikko “Nikko” Bilocura, Timothy “Tims” Randrup, and Andrei “skem” Ong secured a spot in the PGL Wallachia Season 6 playoffs after a 2-1 reverse sweep over South America’s Heroic in the Swiss Stage on Tuesday.
OG, the first organization to win The International (TI), is counting on its Pinoy roster to maintain its legacy. The victory marks the team’s first-ever playoffs under the OG banner, ending a drought in major tournament playoff appearances.
In the decisive match, OG forced a decider at 1-1 and capitalized on a key top-lane clash that gave them a 10k gold lead by the 27-minute mark, eliminating Morphling, Venomancer, Axe, and Jakiro while only losing skem’s Chen. They continued to pressure Heroic’s map and towers, then struck again at the 37-minute mark inside Heroic’s base, killing Axe and Tuskar, ultimately forcing a buyback and securing Morphling’s final kill to close the match.
Yopaj’s Nature’s Prophet posted a 16-3-19 KDA, while Nikko’s Primal Beast delivered 10-3-15. Skem stood out in Game 3 on Chen, providing crucial heals that allowed the carries to excel.
Skem reflected on their unexpected success: “I think we don’t really have expectations. We feel good, of course, we broke the OG curse.”
