THE INTERNATIONAL 10 Playoffs has started, and OG is once again breaking out an old, reliable meme.
The Bootleg OG, as they are fondly called, first became viral in the lead-up to the WePlay AniMajor earlier this year, where the Dota 2 champ’s lineup was swapped up with their lookalikes. The team’s social media team jokingly swapped out long-haired midlaner Topias "Topson" Miikka Taavitsainen for six-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo.
Fajardo, a longtime Dota 2 player himself, was game enough to ride on the joke.
Now, with the Dota 2 world series kicking off in Bucharest, Romania, OG is looking to secure their third Aegis. However, on Facebook, the team jokingly assessed their chances.
“Will we stay in Upper Bracket? Will we have to awaken the Bootleg Force? Find out in a couple hours,” it wrote.
They posted a picture of the Bootleg OG, with June Mar Fajardo as Topson and — as eagle-eyed commenters have pointed out — what looks like ex-Phoenix player Alex Mallari as new OG recruit Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan.
OG looking to secure their third championship in TI10
It’s been a difficult season for OG. After looking off-kilter throughout most of the season, the fan favorites slogged through the Western Europe Qualifier to emerge onto the grand stage. They also picked up SumaiL to reinforce their frontline.
Topson himself has also indicated that TI10 might be his last as a pro player.
OG ended the group stage third from Group A, earning themselves an upper bracket match against EU rivals Team Secret.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asian team T1 — which includes Pinoys Carlo “Kuku” Palad and Karl “Karl” Baldovino — is also vying for the Aegis in the upper bracket, with a first match faceoff against PSG.LGD. Fellow SEA squad Fnatic with Djardel "DJ" Mampusti and Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto is playing in the lower bracket against North America's Team Undying.
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