One of the most decorated midlaners in Dota 2 history is going home. Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen has rejoined OG for the 2026-2027 season, three years after he last wore the green jersey and only weeks after a short-notice cameo at The International 2026. The 28-year-old Finn headlines a heavily reworked lineup that will play its first matches at BLAST Slam VIII at the end of the month.
The new OG lineup
OG kept only two players from the squad that went to TI 2026: carry John Anthony “Natsumi” Vargas and hard support Rolen Andrei “skem” Ong, who also takes over as captain. Around them, the organisation has built a new core:
- Natsumi – carry
- Topson – mid
- Valery “SSS” Lazarev – offlane
- Ivan “OneJey” Zhivitsky – soft support
- skem – hard support (captain)
- Igor “kaffs” Estevão – coach
SSS arrives after spending time on PARIVISION’s inactive bench, having lost his starting spot to Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko earlier this year. OneJey comes over from Virtus.pro, whose roster dissolved after TI. The trio of Topson, SSS and OneJey had been linked to OG for several weeks, so the announcement confirms what the rumour mill had been pointing towards.
Why OG needed a reset
The rebuild is a direct response to a disappointing International. OG’s all-Filipino experiment finished 14th-15th in Shanghai, far below the standards of an organisation that still holds two Aegis titles. In the aftermath, Jasper Erin “Yopaj-“, Polo “Raven” Fausto, Timothy “Tims” Randrup and coach Adam “343” Shah were all released.
Bringing back Topson is as much a statement of identity as it is a roster move. He was the creative engine behind OG’s back-to-back world titles in 2018 and 2019, and his unorthodox hero pool and aggressive map movement became a trademark of that era.
A career that refused to end
After leaving OG, Topson had spells with T1 and Tundra Esports before announcing his retirement when Tundra finished third at TI 2024. That retirement did not last. In 2026 he first entered the TI open qualifiers with a veteran stack nicknamed Team Retirement Home, playing alongside Artour “Arteezy” Babaev and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs. He then got an unexpected ticket to the main tournament as LGD Gaming’s emergency stand-in after TaiLung was removed over competitive integrity concerns.
LGD’s run ended in the elimination stage against Team Yandex, leaving them in 9th-13th place. The result was modest, but the experience evidently rekindled his appetite for a third Aegis.
What it means for BLAST Slam VIII
OG’s first test comes quickly. BLAST Slam VIII runs from September 29 to October 11 with 16 teams competing for a $750,000 prize pool. The field includes TI 2026 champions Team Spirit, runners-up PARIVISION, Team Yandex, Team Liquid, Xtreme Gaming and LGD.
For bettors, a freshly assembled roster is always a question mark. Expect esports bookmakers to price OG as outsiders against the established top tier, since the five players have had very little time together and a new coach is still installing his system. That said, the combination of Topson’s experience and skem’s leadership could make OG a dangerous underdog in best-of-three series. If you plan to follow the event with a new account, it is worth reading up on how welcome bonuses work before placing your first bets.
Either way, the Dota 2 off-season has delivered one of its biggest storylines: a two-time world champion back with the team that made him famous, and a proud organisation betting on the past to rebuild its future.
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