Ceb reveals N0tail had doubts signing this player for OG’s Dota 2 TI8 roster

It’s been years since OG’s fairy-tale run at The International 2018, but the formation of that legendary roster is still a hot topic among Dota 2 fans. This week, a new layer was added to the story, this time straight from one of the OG founders.

In a recent interview during PGL Wallachia Season 5, N0tail shared how OG’s now legendary TI8 roster came to be. However, according to Ceb, the captain of that roster was “misremembering” some of the details leading up to one of the most iconic moments in Dota 2 esports’ history.

N0tail mentioned that 23savage was a part of OG’s backup plans when they were considering signing Topson. However, Ceb recently revealed during one of his livestreams that 23savage was never part of the plans and that there was no doubt about Topson getting into the roster. Rather, it was Ana, the carry player, who was on top of the list, but was doubtful of joining the team.

“Topson, for mid, was locked. Like, there was no discussion on mid, and I was the one bringing it up,” Ceb revealed. “But, there was a discussion around the carry. We had a carry list,” he added. Ceb further went on to explain, “We were like, we are going to talk to Ana, he’s our number one option.”

Ana became a two-time Major winner during his first stint with OG, winning both the Boston Major and Kiev Major. However, the backlash and negativity that the Australian player faced online were too much for him to deal with as OG crashed out early in The International 2016 and 2017. This resulted in Ana taking a break after TI7, during which Resolution joined OG.

However, the team did not find much success, eventually resulting in the infamous anime betrayal of Fly leaving OG to join Evil Geniuses. Following his departure, along with s4, OG were desperately trying to put together a roster that could compete on the biggest stage of Dota 2 esports, and that is where the doubts started creeping in.

Despite being the number one choice, Ceb and N0tail were unsure about Ana returning to join the team. “Johan told us that if he is not motivated, and if he is going to keep bringing uncertainty and make the team unstable, I’d rather go for another option,” Ceb stated.

Ceb then goes on to reveal that in case Ana didn’t come back from his break to rejoin OG for TI8, they had a list of potential carries to choose from. He even mentioned some of the names, including Gorgc, InYourDream, and even Nisha.

Fortunately for OG and all the fans, Ana not only came back to the roster, but according to Ceb, he was highly motivated, and the rest is history. In the end, the lineup of N0tail, Ceb, Topson, JerAx, and Ana didn’t just win TI8: they changed the way people think about teamwork and resilience in Dota 2. And thanks to moments like this, we’re still learning just how it all came together.