OG vs Team Nigma: Match Recap, Highlights, and Saksa Interview

OG and Team Nigma put on a thrilling Dota 2 contest in the ESL One Summer 2021, as the two teams battled it out for tournament survival. There were a few uncharacteristic sloppy moves on both teams' part this time, but the matches were still extremely close as OG managed to clinch a 2-1 victory. The lead changed hands in the first and third games, but Team Nigma made a comeback in the first game, while OG made a turnaround in the third game. The second game, however, was a stomp by N0tail and his teammates. Team Nigma is now eliminated from the ESL One Summer 2021 in the 7th-8th spot while OG continues its run in the lower bracket.

OG and Team Nigma deliver an exhilarating battle in the ESL One Summer 2021

Recap

Game 1 saw Miracle- and iLTW on their heroes - Invoker and Anti Mage. Their slow draft allowed OG to pull ahead in the game with SumaiL’s Medusa becoming a beast. With a 13k lead at 33 minutes, it looked like OG had the game in the bag but Team Nigma registered an amazing comeback with their great initiations. They went all-in on Medusa which worked, leading to a win in 41 minutes.

Game 2 was an easy victory for OG. They outdrafted Team Nigma and then dominated them in the laning phase to secure a humongous lead. The final scoreline was 36-8 in OG’s favor at the end of a 30 minute game.

Game 3 was a rollercoaster ride as we witnessed non-stop fighting by both sides. OG got ahead in the early phases but Team Nigma struck back with multiple teamfight victories. But in the end, they let the lead slip away with some lacklustre initiations. OG took advantage of these mistakes with SumaiL, Saksa, and Ceb all delivering some impressive performances to win the game in 42 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

OG has come back strong to defeat Team Liquid and Team Nigma despite a thrashing in the upper bracket against Virtus.pro. With SumaiL on the safe lane, the team seems to have found their footing. All players appear to be performing their role to the best of their ability while also sticking with unconventional drafts and a unique understanding of the metagame to find success.

OG will be playing against Quincy Crew in the lower bracket series of the ESL One Summer 2021 on May 19, 2021.

This tournament was hit or miss for Team Nigma. After faltering against Vikin.gg, they came back strong against Team Secret but looked rusty again against OG. Miracle- and MinD_ContRoL, who had been on top of their game at the AniMajor, looked a little off. The team will now take some time off before returning to action in the TI10 Europe qualifier on July 7, 2021.

Interview: OG Saksa talks about playing with SumaiL

OG’s position four player, Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, came for the post-match winner’s interview where he talked about playing with the team’s new carry, Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan.