Two-time TI winner Ceb talks up OG's potential 'to win it all' at TI11 in Singapore
Do the new OG squad, one of the youngest competitors in the tournament, have "the potential to win it all" at The International 11 (TI11), this year's iteration of Dota 2's annual multimillion-dollar world championship?
Yes, says two-time TI champion Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, who lifted the Aegis of Champions in back to back years at TI8 and TI9.
"When it comes purely to the game of Dota, [OG] has all the chances to win the event. I think they have the potential to win it all," Ceb said in an interview with Yahoo Esports SEA.
And while he knows the team will face some very tough competition, like TI10 champions Team Spirit and Chinese juggernauts PSG.LGD, to name a few, Ceb remains confident in OG's chances at TI11.
After standing-in for the organisation's new roster throughout the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, even helping them win the ESL One Stockholm Major, Ceb will once again aid OG in their quest for the Aegis — this time as a coach.
How Ceb is working with the current roster
Ceb will be OG's second coach for TI11 alongside the team's primary coach, Evgenii "Chu" Makarov.
While Chu will be the one most involved in the team's draft and pre-game preparations, Ceb is bringing his wealth of experience in playing in TI.
"I'm the one helping them foresee what could go right and what could go wrong, as well as how to handle all these things," Ceb said of his role.
"I do a lot of prep work with them when it comes to their general understanding of Dota and how to play Dota at the highest level, how to break the strongest teams out there. And I go through Chu with all that so he can have them better prepared once we get closer to the games."
Ceb is certainly familiar with how it feels to play in Dota 2's biggest stage, having played as OG's offlaner in TI8, TI9, and TI10.
But that doesn't mean he's a stranger to seeing the team go for the Aegis from the sidelines.
Falling short previously
Back in TI6 and TI7, Ceb — at the time going under the handle 7ckngMad — coached OG through some rough times. The team entered those two iterations of TI as favourites, having won multiple Majors beforehand.
However, those old OG teams succumbed to the pressure of expectations, finishing in 9th-12th place in TI6 and 7th-8th in TI7.
It's a stark contrast from OG's championship runs at TI8, when no one expected the team to win the Aegis, and at TI9, when no one expected them to do it again.
Ceb has learned much from falling well short of the Aegis and then raising it twice. He hopes those lessons can help this new OG squad in their own quest for this year's championship.
"I don't like OG teams going into these big events having expectations and having something to lose. So, the expectation for us is to just deliver and play as well as we are able to," said Ceb.
"If we can achieve that, then I'm 100 percent confident that a lot of great things can come out of it: a really high placement and maybe even a title. That is the only expectation, but this team has the potential to take it all."
Of course, things are easier said than done.
Ceb is also very familiar with all the ups-and-downs that all teams go through at TI. With this year's tournament having a revamped format and a longer schedule, things are bound to get more complicated, something the TI winner hopes to help his team see through.
"Once we're there, I foresee that there are gonna be days or moments when they might feel that they don't have the answers, so Chu and I will be there for them. I know that some obstacles are gonna come in the way, and I will be there when that day comes," said Ceb.
Of course, OG's coaching staff are working pre-emptively so that the team don't have to be in that position.
But, for Ceb, it's always good to have a backup plan, considering that no plan survives first contact.
All preparations go out the window when you're up on that stage and everything you've worked for throughout the entire DPC season comes down to one last game.
The words of Ceb
The experienced Frenchman has been in that situation many times before, with his team walking away in defeat in some but also emerging as champions in others.
OG fans, or anyone who has watched the TI8 and TI9 True Sights, know what Ceb likes to do in these high-stakes situations — give a damn good speech.
When asked about what he'll say to the new OG squad when such a times comes, Ceb shared these words of wisdom.
"Forget about everything. Forget about the year, forget about yourself, forget about who you are and what you got, forget about the preparation. Take a moment to realise that this is TI," Ceb said.
"This is the tournament that you've dreamt of playing in, this is the game that you're passionate about, and this should be the most enjoyable days and weeks of your life. At the end of the day, TI is not the time to stress yourself out," he continued.
To finish off, Ceb said he would tell the team, "It's the reward rather than the quest, the quest has already happened before. They've done everything they needed to be ready. They will be ready so it will just be a matter of collecting the fruit of their work."
Whether the fruit of such work is a third Aegis of Champions for OG remains to be seen.
But Ceb will be there ready to give the team whatever they need, be it insight from one of the most innovative minds in all of Dota or unparalled championship experience.
Ceb and OG are one of the 12 teams to receive a direct invite to TI11 out of a total of 30 participants. They will be one of the 20 teams to start in the Group Stage alongside the other directly-invited teams, the six winners of the regional qualifiers, and the two winners of the ongoing Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).
TI11 will be hosted in Singapore from 8 to 30 October and features a revamped format with the new LCQ and a longer schedule. For everything you need to know about TI11, check here.
OG roster for The International 11:
Artem "Yuragi" Golubiev
Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov
Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf
Tommy "Taiga" Le
Mikhail "Misha" Agatov
Evgenii "Chu" Makarov (coach)
Sébastien "Ceb" Debs (coach)
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