Cover-Credits:
During one of his recent Twitch streams, prominent Dota 2 streamer and personality Janne "Gorgc" Stefanovski said it was a shame that Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf parted ways with OG. He pointed out that the dynamic duo of ATF and Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov had the potential to win The International once or twice. Artem "Yuragi" Golubiev, ATF, and bzm started their tier 1 Dota 2 journey together with OG in 2021 and performed surprisingly well. However, after a disastrous performance at The International 2022, ATF was moved to the inactive roster and he left the team shortly after to join Nigma Galaxy.
Gorgc Comments on the Old OG Roster’s Potential
On 11th February, Swedish Dota 2 streamer Gorgc on the topic of ATF being kicked from OG in 2022. He said, “Yeah that was a shame. That was a good version of OG, I think. I don't know, those guys should have stuck together. I think if bzm, Yuragi, and Ammar stick together I think they could have taken a TI or two you know? Like for real, for real. Especially bzm and Ammar. I think those two guys are extremely good.”
Yuragi, bzm, and ATF joined OG together on 21st November 2021 after OG’s former roster decided to take a break from competitive Dota. Together, the trio took the Tier 1 scene by storm and made a name as underdogs of the Dota 2 pro scene, securing several tournament wins under OG including DPC WEU 2021/2022 Tour 2: Division I, ESL One Stockholm Major 2022, and ESL One Malaysia 2022. They also secured 3rd-4th place at the Riyadh Masters 2022 and played together for the last time at The International 2022 where OG finished with a disappointing 7th-8th position.
As a result, ATF was moved to the inactive roster, and a few days later he left the team to join Nigma Galaxy. Russian player Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin was brought in to fill the vacant offlaner role on OG. Following the departure of ATF, OG had a very bad run in 2023 where it even failed to secure a commendable standing at a tier 2 tournament, the Pinnacle Cup: Malta Vibes #1.
OG secured a disappointing 13th-14th standing at the DreamLeague Season 20 and the Riyadh Masters 2023. It even failed to qualify for The International 2023 and ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023. However, in 2024, OG is slowly getting back on its feet and is improving itself step by step.
In the meantime, ATF has been team-hopping and played for four different teams in 2023. He ultimately settled with the newly formed Team Falcons. During 2023, he won European Pro League Season 8 and secured fourth place at the Bali Major 2023 with Quest Esports. ATF also won the Pinnacle: 25 Year Anniversary Show with Team Falcons in 2023 and emerged first in every qualifier so far held in 2024, proving himself as a strong player.
