Timado to OG Esports: The hidden lore behind playing with Wisper

The OG Esports Dota 2 roster has seen some major changes since The International 2023 shuffle started. First, the Bolivian off-lane player Adrián "Wisper" Dobles joined, while Matthew "Ari" Walker took on the soft support role. Then, Artem "Yuragi" Golubiev got benched, and many names were suggested to replace the Major-winning hard carry. Among them was Enzo "Timado" Gianoli, the Peruvian hard carry who remained without a team after Tundra Esports briefly supported the former TSM Dota players.

Even though this is only a stand-in situation, we all know how this works. If Timado performs well, OG.Timado will become a reality for more than just DreamLeague Season 22. OG Esports Dota 2 roster didn't qualify for ESL One Birmingham 2024, so it's a trial of fire for him. The next big tournament ahead is the qualifier stage for DreamLeague Season 23. After that, we're getting dangerously close to Riyadh Masters.

Will this strategy work for the players? Interestingly, Timado and Wisper have a history. They first met years ago when Timado's career was on the rise, having been part of the first South American team to compete at The International in 2017. Meanwhile, Wisper was still trying to establish himself. Let's hop in the time machine!

When OG.Timado was 18 years old, he was INF.Timado. He was transitioning from mid-lane to hard carry. Just like Wisper, who used to play mid-lane for Infamous.Young, with other players from Bolivia like Oscar (Thunder Awaken and ex-Wawitas Sagazes) and Michael (ex-Thunder Awaken). The boys' biggest challenge was to qualify for DreamLeague Season 10! And they managed to do it, making Wisper the first player from Bolivia to play an international tournament.

Back in the day, when the OG Dota 2 roster didn't even exist, there were no million-dollar prize pools if it wasn't for The International. Infamous got fourth place after facing Natus Vincere, which made them $25,000. By today's numbers, this doesn't mean much. But they managed to do it with not much experience and, get ready, a rank Crusader coach.

Loved by many, questioned by some, Egorco is a name you have to know if you want to dive deep into the Dota 2 esports lore. Maybe OG.Timado wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him. Egorco was Infamous' coach for the 2018 and part of the 2019 season, and he's also Timado's father. Putting his MMR number aside (say your thing, Dendi), Egorco was one of the first coaches in the South American scene. He won the hearts of the community by showing his unconditional support to his son and preaching that a Dota 2 pro player is not a video game addict, like the local media used to point out.

Egorco was also part of the unstable team that Infamous became. After the poor results obtained while trying to qualify for the Chongqing Major, the team stayed together for not much longer. On a Twitch stream, Egorco admitted that he made the right call kicking Wisper because he needed a change to "grow as a player." Allegedly, the Bolivian player was not consistent in his playstyle and also not dedicated enough.

And, of course, they hired the epitome of try-harding...

But that's a story we can leave for another time. We don't want to talk about how this team also saw names like the TI-winner skiter, the biggest North American Dota 2 streamer Mason, and many more international names.

Wakey wakey! OG will be facing their first rival, the Chinese super-team G2.iG, on Feb. 25 at 6 a.m. EST. So you better be adjusting your sleep schedule to enjoy the DreamLeague Season 22 Group Stage. Their next opponent will be Team Falcons, the same day at 11 a.m. EST. It will be a challenging day for the OG Dota 2 roster.

While we wait for OG.Timado's debut, be sure to follow esports.gg for more Dota 2 content. And, if you want an interview with Egorco to learn more about what he thinks of this new phase for his son and for more lore development, ask for it in our socials!