After nearly three years at the helm, OG’s head coach for Dota 2 Mikhail "Misha" Agatov will no longer be part of the organization, according to the org’s latest reveal.
This departure leaves Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov as the last surviving member of OG 2.0 – the iteration that took over the reins from the legendary TI champions in 2021.
Misha joined OG Esports in 2021 and assumed the position of head coach for its Dota 2 team, four months before The International 2021. During his tenure, the team achieved a 7th-8th place finish at TI 2021 after qualifying through the regional qualifiers.
Unable to defend their throne, OG’s roster for TI 2021 completely disbanded, with most of the Dota 2 players taking a break or retiring. It was time for the organization to take a fresh approach and initiate a complete rebuild.
Misha exchanged coaching duties for a player role, spearheading OG 2.0's resurgence and becoming its captain. Along with new faces like bzm, Yuragi, ATF and a veteran Taiga, the 2.0 version found decent success.
However, OG’s top success came at the cost of Misha’s absence because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which created a lot of visa issues for the captain. Without Misha, they won ESL One Stockholm Major and ESL One Malaysia and placed fourth in the PGL Arlington Major in 2022. However, with Misha, OG secured a 7th-8th place finish at TI 2022.
In 2023, Misha moved back to the coaching position making way for Ceb’s reentry into the scene. However, the season was comparatively difficult as OG was unable to find its identity and show consistency with dismal performances across the board. They even failed to qualify for TI 2023.
The same story repeated in 2024 with OG failing to qualify for TI 2024 and putting up dismal performances across the board.
Image credit: OG Esports
The official statement from OG doesn’t reveal the exact reason for Misha’s departure but the team’s underperformance for the past two years is mostly likely the decision behind this split. Nonetheless, the decision seems to be mutual.
Here’s what Ceb has to say about Misha:
Today I say farewell to a great teammate. It’s been inspiring working with you. I’ve witnessed so much passion and dedication over the years, and will always remember the level of commitment you demonstrated. Once OG, always OG. I wish you the best onwards Misha. -Ceb
OG is currently participating in the PGL Wallachia Season 2 closed qualifiers with the following Dota 2 roster:
BLAST ApS., Hauser Plads 1, 3., 1127 Copenhagen