It’s the moment OG fans have been waiting for. Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen is back in Europe, and his return to the competitive scene is not far away.
Topson has been missing in action
No official announcement has been made explain his absence, but it’s widely speculated that he has been spending time in Malaysia with his girlfriend Mawar Remy and her family.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CADJ4NyAJmR/
Topson might even be stuck there given all the travel restrictions. It didn’t stop him from trying to play with his team a couple of weeks ago. But he obviously had latency issues because OG competes on European servers. So rather than let that impact their performance, a mutual decision was made to let him have some time off until he’s back.
Several players stood in for Topson at different times. The most recent one was Sebastian “Ceb” Debs, who came out of retirement for the occasion. Before him, there was Neta “33” Shapira, Omar Mohammad “Madara” Dabachach, and Quinn “CCnC” Callahan.
OG performed quite well with the stand-ins. They finished third in OGA Dota PIT 2020 and Gamers Without Borders. They also finished second in ESL One Los Angeles 2020. But they didn’t do so well in WePlay! Pushka League, failing to qualify for the playoffs. However, it’s not a big deal given the circumstances.
Step aside, Maverick. Topson has officially landed
It doesn’t matter anymore. Because Topson is back in Europe and ready to go.
Look who's just landed in Europe!#DreamOG pic.twitter.com/swDrdZ0nk3
— OG (@OGesports) May 24, 2020
Topson is one of the best mid-laners in the scene. But he is also crucial to OG’s unique playstyle and perhaps the most important piece in the puzzle. His return will bring them back to full strength.
OG will be playing their first game of ESL One Birmingham 2020 tomorrow. Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov, and captain Johan “n0Tail” Sundstein are the only names announced in their line-up so far.
But Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng’s name is missing. He played with them in OGA Dota Pit 2020, which only just finished. He’s been stuck in Malaysia too since he lives there. So maybe the high ping has been too frustrating, and he needs a break.
If Topson makes his much-anticipated return tomorrow, Ceb will likely fill in for MidOne. That means the back-to-back TI winning OG lineup is back. Well, almost. The only one missing is Anathan “Ana” Pham, who decided to take the year off after OG won The International 9.
Still, the hype is real. If anyone can step into Ana’s shoes, it’s SumaiL. Plus, with Topson back in the mid-lane, he will thrive even more.
Dota 2 fans need to wait until tomorrow to see whether Topson will make an appearance. But if he does, it might give OG the edge they need to beat Team Secret and put an end their crazy winning streak. Either way, it’s going to be an awesome tournament.
