The International’s defending champions, OG, has made a change to their roster by releasing Igor “iLTW” Filatov, the team announced via Facebook.
OG thanked iLTW for the contributions he’s made to the team since he joined in January. Unfortunately for him, however, OG said they were “still not meeting the results [they] aim at,” which led to his release.
And after winning the $11.2 million grand prize at The International in August 2018, it’s understandable the team would be dissatisfied with recent performances. Since the win at TI8, OG have failed to reach the finals of any event, and they have even fell short in qualifier events.
OG’s most recent result was a top six placing at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor, an event in which the team won only one of their three matches in Group A. Despite the disappointment, iLTW and his former OG teammates appeared professional after the roster change.
“I want to thank OG for the opportunity they gave me these past few months,” said iLTW. “It’s been a great experience and I learned so much. Thanks to Johan, Seb, Jesse and Topias for being such great teammates and Titouan and Oliver for their support. I wish you guys all the best!”
OG did not reveal iLTW’s replacement yet, but an announcement is expected in the next few days, according to OG’s Facebook post. Some fans have speculated OG will bring back Anathan “Ana” Pham, who was a part of OG’s roster at The International. Ana announced he would be taking a break from competing in November 2018, and was promptly moved to the team’s substitute position.
