Dota 2: Former OG, Liquid support player Taiga announces retirement

Norwegian Dota 2 pro player Tommy "Taiga" Le, who previously played for prestigious teams like Team Liquid and OG, has announced his retirement after almost eight years of competing.

Taiga nonchalantly revealed he has already retired from pro play in a post on his personal Twitter account on Thursday (8 February). The former pro player also said that he has switched to being a full-time streamer and is also open to hosting coaching sessions.

Taiga began his esports in career in Heroes of Newerth before switching to Dota 2 in 2017 with squads like SFTe-sports and No Rats. He found his big break in November of that year when he joined Swedish organisation Alliance, competing under their banner for almost two years and even earned a direct invite to The International (TI) 2019 where they finished in 13th-16th place.

Taiga and the rest of that Alliance roster were then signed by Team Liquid in October 2019. In Taiga's almost two years with Liquid, he helped the team finish in the Top 6 Major finishes at the MDL Chengdu Major and DreamLeague Season 13 as well as claim the championship of ESL One Germany 2020.

Taiga then joined OG as part of their new roster of youngbloods in November 2021, helping the team become one of the best teams in the now-defunct Dota Pro Circuit's (DPC) Western European regional league at the time.

Taiga's list of accomplishments with OG included the championship of the ESL One Stockholm Major 2022, Top 4 finishes at Riyadh Masters 2022 and the PGL Arlington Major 2022, as well as a Top 8 finish at TI 2022 — his highest placement in Dota 2's annual world championship tournament.

But while Taiga's first year with OG looked promising, his second year with the team was comparatively troubled.

In the 2023 DPC's Summer Tour regional league for Western Europe, Taiga was forced to miss their first three matches in the league amid a battle with anxiety and depression.

Taiga said in a message on his personal Discord server at the time that he was "having anxiety and depression for a while", which has caused his performances to be "very shaky" and prompted him to temporarily step away from competition.

"Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark, but I have been having anxiety and depression for a while, it just got worse after [TI 2022], I might seem like I'm fine but I really wasn't. That's why my performances [have] been very shaky," said Taiga.

Taiga added that he underwent therapy during that period in an effort to return to pro play.

"I'm on therapy right now to get better, and it's been helping me to get back my drive and motivation to come back streaming and pubbing, it's not fully there yet but I'm taking steps towards healing," said Taiga.

While Taiga was eventually able to return to play with OG, the team the Summer Tour regional league in fifth place with a 3-4 record and missed out on the Bali Major.

OG then moved Taiga to their inactive roster in August. Taiga was later loaned to North American squad Wildcard Gaming for the TI 2023 regional qualifiers, although both OG and Taiga did not end up qualifying for last year's Dota 2 world championship tournament.

In October, Taiga revealed that he had also been dealing with a gambling addiction.

The Norwegian player then had a short stint in Southeast Asia with Bleed Esports before becoming inactive by the end of 2023 and eventually announcing his retirement.

In his almost eight years in the competitive Dota 2 scene, Taiga had four Tier 1 tournament wins — including one Major championship — as well as a Top 8 finish at TI in 2022. His estimated career winnings amount to almost US$650,000.

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