As part of a dramatic documentary release, it was revealed that Topson would be returning to competitive play, just in time for TI11.
You can’t keep a world champion away from the game, as Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen has announced his return to competitive play. The OG player will explore his options and look for a team to compete in TI11 with. The news was broken on the morning of July 3rd, with a 15-minute documentary accompanying the announcement.
In the documentary, OG CEO Juan M.R. Luna (JMR Luna) travels to Kuala Lumpur to visit Topson. In several heart-wrenching interviews, Topson explains his past year and his continuing desire to compete.
He explains that just watching his old and new teammates on stage at the Stockholm Major (OG won the Stockholm Major with Ceb as stand-in and N0tail coaching), sparked something in him. “It returns this fire in my heart. Watching these kids, and they’re so passionate, and so good at the game. I just want to compete.”
A sad goodbye to Topson in OG
With his return, Topson has been granted the option to explore other opportunities. Topson, who has been on the inactive roster for OG since stepping down in November of 2021, will now look for another team to compete at TI on.
JMR Luna explains the difficulty in saying goodbye to Topson, and potentially seeing him in another jersey at TI: “I want him to be happy, and I understand. Is it going to hurt [seeing him on another team]? Ofcourse it’s going to hurt. But it’s going to hurt the first day, you know? First day you’re going to see him in a different jersey and you’re going to say “fuck.” But he’s given us four or five years of his life. And when someone gives you that, and then asks you for something, the only thing you can do is support them.”
“He’s always going to be part of the OG family, we love him here. And we hope that no matter where he ends up, no matter where he plays, he will eventually find his way back home to us.”
As mentioned, Topson has been inactive competitively since November. But since starting streaming, the two-time TI winner Topson has edged closer to a return. Seeing his team compete and win a Major was the final straw. We expect to see teams scrambling to sign one of the now greatest free agent Dota talents on the market.