Kitrak Joins OG, Old G disband Certain?
The International 2023 qualifiers are on the horizon, and OG has finally revealed their final roster to partake in the upcoming qualifiers. There were various rumours with certainty that Kitrak would also join the team, while Ceb re-joined OG. Recently, the team confirmed those rumours were correct, as they revealed that the North American player, Kartik "Kitrak" Rathi, will be the team’s support player.
Is Kitrak the missing piece?
Kitrak is a former player who last played for Forward Gaming. After Forward Gaming disbanded, he joined T1 as the assistant coach. He returned to the playing field in DPC 2022-2023 Spring Tour, joining Old G. He helped Old G climb in Division II WEU region. However, despite his best efforts, Old G could only maintain their Div II slot because of the team’s drama.
The Berlin Major is the only LAN OG attended this year. Kitrak had previously standin for OG at the Berlin Major. Due to Kitrak’s help, OG placed second in their groups with four wins and four ties. They even knocked down Team Liquid to the lower brackets in the playoffs. However, despite their best efforts, they got eliminated by Evil Geniuses after they lost to Gaimin Gladiators in the upper brackets.
OG struggled in the Summer Tour, barely managing to dodge the relegations. In ESL One Pro League, they had mediocre results. However, in the only LAN, the team attended; Kitrak helped them secure a 5th-6th place finish, proving he got the skills necessary to help the team regain their position back at the top.
Uncertainty looms for Old G
Adding Kitrak to their roster could unlock OG’s hidden potential. However, on the other hand, uncertainty looms for Old G. Despite purchasing a Division II slot from Puckchamp for the Summer Tour, the players have gone their separate ways. The team lost two of their support players.
Rumours have it their midlaner, Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, will join Tundra Esports as the team’s new midlaner. Their safelaner, Volodymyr "No[o]ne-" Minenko, recently joined Team SMG, leaving the team with nearly one or no players ahead of the TI qualifiers. If Old G has disbanded, it would be interesting to see which team will pick up their slot for the upcoming qualifiers. They also have an option to sell their qualifier slot to another team if they prefer.
Featured Image Source: Twitter/@OGesports