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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Esports devider Two-time TI champ OG expands to SEA with all-Filipino team

Two-time TI champ OG expands to SEA with all-Filipino team

Published Nov 12, 2025 12:59 pm  |  Updated Nov 12, 2025 01:38 pm

At A Glance

  • The two-time The International champion OG has expanded from Europe to the Southeast Asian region, unveiling an all-Filipino roster over the weekend.
Photo from OG
Photo from OG
The two-time The International champion OG has expanded from Europe to the Southeast Asian region, unveiling an all-Filipino roster over the weekend.
In a landmark move, the team has named Filipino Dota 2 stars John "Natsumi-" Vargas, Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer, Nikko "Nikko" Bilocura, Timothy "Tims" Randrup, and Andrei "skem" Ong to the team under Malaysian coach Adam “343” Shah and Filipino manager Isaac “Lane” Alfon.
“This move marks a new chapter in OG’s journey as a truly global esports organization,” said OG co-Owner and CEO Xavier Oswald in a statement.
“From Europe to Southeast Asia, our story has always been about people, players, fans, and communities united by passion and resilience. Expanding into SEA isn’t just a geographic shift; it’s about embracing a region with incredible talent and energy that has shaped Dota 2 for years.”
More popularly known as the back-to-back champions in the 2018 and 2019 edition of the TI, expectations are certainly high for the newly formed roster although it has the full support even from OG stars Sebastien "Ceb" Debs, Johan "Notail" Sundstein, and Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka.
“I’m just looking forward and excited to see how far this OG Dota team will go. I will help as much as I can. Johann will help as much as he can. There’s great people, there's a great group. I think we have the winning formula,” said Ceb in a video posted by OG.
For Notail, the move was a homecoming of sorts for OG especially that it was in Manila where the team’s popularity truly took a big turn.
"Manila [is] where we became the first team to win two majors, and where our legend was truly born. OG was still a child, and we were far from knowing that our great legacy would be much greater than what we had just achieved,” echoed Notail.
“Far from knowing that Manila, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia would mean so much to us. For as long as it has existed, Dota has always had a home in the Philippines. Now, it will become a home, too,” he added.
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