N0tail officially returns to pro play

N0tail has replaced Lelis on OG’s active roster, marking an official return to pro play after three years off the competitive radar.

Danish Dota 2 icon and two-time The International (TI) champion Johan “N0tail” Sundstein has officially returned to professional play, stepping into OG’s active roster to replace Rodrigo “Lelis” Santos, who has departed after less than a month with the team.

For the past three years, N0tail has remained behind the scenes, managing his prominent organisation, OG. However, as OG’s performance began to falter, he gradually became more involved. In May 2025, he took on the role of coach to help steer the team back on track.

Unfortunately, their new Dota 2 season got off to a rough start with lackluster results and an early roster re-shuffle. OG and position 5 support Lelis parted ways just weeks after his arrival. In response, N0tail will return to a familiar role as the team’s hard support, marking his official comeback to competitive Dota since 2023.

OG’s current Dota 2 Roster:

N0tail’s return to competitive Dota 2

One of the most decorated and iconic players in Dota 2 history, N0tail boasts two consecutive TI titles and four Dota 2 Major victories–all won under the OG banner. With over US$7.1 million in total earnings, he remains the highest-earning esports player of all time–even after years of inactivity.

After announcing his retirement in November 2021, N0tail helped build a new OG roster composed of young, promising talents–including now-TI champion Ammar “ATF” Assaf. That squad quickly exceeded expectations with a win at ESL One Malaysia 2022 and several other strong showings. Throughout this period, N0tail remained in the backline to support the team.

In December 2022, N0tail embarked on a side mission as he reunited with his former OG teammates, Sébastien “Ceb” Debs and Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen to form Old G, a project that competed in Division II of the Western Europe Dota Pro Circuit (now discontinued). However, the team was eliminated in April 2023, and N0tail stepped away from competition once again.

OG’s ongoing struggles

While the whole Old G phase took place, OG's roster gradually broke apart in 2023. Since then, the team has struggled to regain its footing. A wave of roster changes over the past two years has left OG without a consistent lineup or strong results. Despite N0tail stepping in as coach last May, the team’s form did not improve.

Coming into the new season, OG announced a stable five-man lineup and briefly raised hopes with two minor tournament wins. However, the momentum quickly faded as OG failed to qualify for five major events and finished near the bottom at FISSURE Universe: Episode 7.

The recent departure of Lelis–after just three weeks on board–adds to OG’s continuous roster turbulence. But things are different this time around as stepping into the vacant position 5 role is none other than N0tail himself. Though he has stood in for the team many times in the previous season, this will be N0tail's first official tenure since his inactivity in 2023.

What’s next for OG and N0tail?

OG is currently competing in DreamLeague Division 2 Season 1, where N0tail makes his official return to competitive play. The tournament runs from 11-26 October, featuring 16 Tier 2 teams, including Natus Vincere Junior and Team Yandex, all fighting for a spot at DreamLeague Season 27.

N0tail had already been playing in Lelis's place even before the roster change was formally announced. OG currently holds one win and one loss–a mild performance considering the level of competition. However, the team still has time to bounce back and secure one of the four available slots at the main DreamLeague event.