It’s a busy time for players at the ESL One Berlin Major, but I managed to have a chat with OG’s Taiga a day before their match with EG.

After announcing two stand ins at the last moment, no one really expected OG to perform as well as they have. However, their incredible performance in the group stage of the ESL One Berlin Major landed them in the upper bracket in the playoffs. Finally, they’re getting the chance to play in front of a live audience again at the Velodrom Arena in Berlin.

The 18 teams that began have been gradually whittled down to just 6 and the competition has been fierce.

How have you been enjoying Berlin?

Taiga: I mean, it’s amazing because they have a lot of vegan options. That’s great, you know, like looking at Uber Eats and stuff and thinking “finally, some vegan options!” Most of it is burgers so a little bit unhealthy but it’s fine, it’s better than nothing. The event itself has been great too.

How long have you been here in Berlin?

Taiga: Hmm, I think we have been here since..I’ve lost track of time, what day is it today? Friday? OK, we’ve been here for almost two weeks I think. We haven’t been bootcamping, we just travelled straight from home.

How have you been finding playing with Mind_Control and Kitrak in this event?

Taiga: It’s a new vibe. They bring a lot of new energy to the team. I think it’s very nice to feel that. We are also used to playing with stand ins from previous events but MC is a special guy, he’s played on many many teams before too. He was totally different to what I thought. I thought he would be more aggressive and stuff because he looks kind of aggressive but you should never judge a book by its cover! It was totally different. And the same with Kitrak.

You’ll be playing an elimination game against either EG or Talon. If you had to choose which one to play, who would you choose?

Taiga: It’s hard to say but I think I would like to play against EG. We have some history in the lower bracket against EG but when they were called Thunder Awaken. It was both ESL events that we played against them, both in the lower bracket and it favoured us.

Have you been able to talk with Misha and Chuvash during the tournament?

Taiga: We have been talking with Misha quite often. He’s been helping us a lot. He’s still coaching us even if he’s not here in Berlin. He’s still coaching and helping us. The others are watching the games every time we play and seeing if there’s anything we can provide for the team while they are still waiting for their visas. It’s just unfortunate timing.

Did OG have a plan in place for if something like this happened again?

Taiga: We don’t really have a plan right now you know, we like to take it as it comes. Hopefully we’ll get the visas next time because we’ve been trying for a long time. Eventually we should get it, it’s just a matter of time.

Since we got the chance to speak with Taiga, it was confirmed that they will in fact go head to head with EG in the next round of the ESL One Berlin Major. OG have always been a team that fights back hardest when the odds are against them and it seems that fans will be in for another treat tomorrow. As just one of the European teams dominating the playoffs, the top tier Dota will just keep coming!