OG drops ATF amid post TI11 roster reshuffle

Dota 2 veteran Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf has officially been removed from OG’s active roster.

As announced by the European organization OG in a Twitter post, star offlane player ATF will no longer be part of OG’s active Dota 2 roster. Although ATF’s prospective options are yet unknown, given his performances in 202, he ought to have a number of suitors for the upcoming season, particularly at a time when many European teams are revamping their rosters following the completion of TI11. According to independent journalist Kenneth Utama, the 17-year-old received multiple offers from other teams for positions one and three. However, no specific teams have been revealed yet. Although OG displayed outstanding play throughout the season, there were a few apparent tactical shortcomings that might have prompted this change in the lineup for the 2023 season.

Following ATF’s transfer to the inactive roster, OG’s Dota 2 lineup is as follows:

• Mikhail “Misha” Agatov
• Artem “Yuragi” Golubiev
• Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov
• Tommy “Taiga” Le 

ATF’s successful stint with OG comes to an end

ATF became a member of the OG’s Dota 2 lineup in November 2021 and went on to win a number of important tournaments in the 2021/2022 season of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit Tour. In addition to earning $1.45 million USD in prize money for the organization during his one-year tenure, the Jordanian player assisted the squad in winning the first Major of the season, ESL One Stockholm 2022, and ESL One Malaysia. Furthermore, the 17-year-old demolished the top Dota 2 teams in the Group Stage during his maiden appearance at The International, securing a spot in the main event in a dominating fashion. 

While ATF’s brilliant gameplay provided OG an edge in the initial stage of the TI11, his rather limited champion pool made his team one of the most predictable sides at TI11. As a result of his team’s heartbreaking loss to Team Liquid in the lower bracket, his first-ever TI appearance came to a close with a 7th-8th finish, which earned the team $473,000 in prize money.

Although his champion pool was sufficient to propel OG into the top ten, his performance at the later stage of the competition appeared ineffective. OG’s opponents had clearly analyzed their gameplay thoroughly as they banned ATF’s obvious champion pick, making him ineffective in offlane position while leaving OG vulnerable. However, It will be interesting to see who replaces ATF in OG and what his possibilities are for the future given that the new Dota 2 Pro Circuit season is anticipated to begin in about one month.

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