Cover-Credits:
Two-time TI champion and former OG player, Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka recently joined esports journalist Duncan "Thorin" Shields in a podcast and opened up about his motivations for joining OG in 2016.
In the same podcast, he had also expressed that he wanted to leave Liquid due to his depreciating mental health, after which he transferred to OG.
Talking about the main reason behind joining OG, JerAx confessed that he chose to join the organization to play alongside Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi. However, this aspiration did not come to fruition as Miracle- left OG a week prior to JerAx’s signing and joined Team Liquid instead.
JerAx Reveals That a Major Reason for Joining OG Was Miracle-
During a podcast on the Thorin's YouTube channel, JerAx shared his admiration for Miracle-'s skill and demeanor, stating, "I wanted to play with Miracle, but it turned out that he joined Liquid. That was one of my motivations to join OG; I respected him as a player. He was very calm, everything worked out for him in life, and he was great at it. At that time, it seemed like there were no players greater than him on earth. It’s just insane what he could do."
JerAx's admiration for Miracle-'s exceptional performances and abilities fueled his desire to team up with him. Miracle was widely known for his outrageously exceptional gameplay and skills during the 2015-2017 era and was regarded as one of the best Dota 2 players in the world then.
However, despite his hopes, the opportunity to play alongside Miracle- never materialized as he chose a different path by joining Team Liquid, a week before to JerAx’s arrival.
Despite this, JerAx's reverence for Miracle- as a player remained evident, highlighting the impact Miracle- had on the Dota 2 competitive scene and the admiration he garnered from his peers.
Although the world did not get to see the synergy between Miracle- and JerAx, both known for being one of the best players in their own right, the world was treated to the legendary OG squad which consisted of the following players.
Anathan "ana" Pham
Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen
Sébastien "Ceb" Debs
Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka
Johan "N0tail" Sundstein
They became one of the best Dota 2 lineups of all time by becoming the first in Dota 2 history to win two consecutive world championships.
Miracle-'s path was no different, going on to become the world champion himself in 2017 along with Team Liquid.
