Dota 2 left fans puzzled as ‘bad rumors’ swirl around Taiga, OG—but there’s a promising update

The Dota 2 world has been left worrying this week after “bad rumors” about the unfolding situation at OG regarding young gun Tommy “Taiga” Le cropped up. On the bright side, however, a promising update from the man himself via a leaked Discord message on May 24 suggest he’s on the road to recovery.

Taiga mysteriously disappeared during the final tour of the Dota Pro Circuit. Initially citing private issues, Taiga’s absence from OG’s official matches, which was expected to last for only a week, has now stretched into an unsettling three-week period, putting OG into jeopardy since the team is on the verge of disqualification.

Aramis and Merlin helped OG in their first three weeks in the summer DPC, but OG’s currently only allowed to play one more match with a stand-in. Given how close the team is to getting relegated, the rumor mill has started spinning within the Dota 2 community.

While some fans drew bold conclusions from cryptic statements, others entertained ideas worthy of Hollywood scripts. The Dota 2 community began theory-crafting left and right, with even stats gurus like Noxville coming to Taiga’s defense.

Following the outcry, the young player eventually posted a statement on Discord on May 24 to clarify his situation. It was later shared by esports journalist Pancho Justo on Twitter, and it provides some hope.

Taiga had been struggling with anxiety and depression ever since The International 2022, the young Dota star explained in his Discord message to fans. Upon realizing the toll this had on his performance, he continued, Taiga apparently decided to take a step back and get better to regain his drive for Dota 2. He’s currently getting therapy, and it has helped him get some drive and motivation back.

OG hasn’t made any further comment regarding the matter, but it’s highly likely that the club could be in touch with Valve to see if all parties can come up with a working formula. For OG to finish the season with stand-ins, Valve would need to bend the rules, and a roster change at this point would mean a DPC point penalty.

OG still has one more week that they can play with another Dota star as a roster stand-in but after that, it’ll be a decision time for the two-time TI-winning org.