Ceb hints at retirement from Dota 2 following OG's exit from TI 10

With the six remaining Dota 2 teams preparing to continue their journey in TI 10, Team OG took their leave from the tournament today after a lower bracket elimination series.

After winning the tournament back-to-back twice, their '3peat' dream was not to be in TI 10, to the dismay of many fans. Much of the team's struggles can be attributed to their post-TI 2019 roster woes. OG are a team known for underperforming throughout the DPC, only to awaken at the last moment and swoop in to take the aegis at the TI main stage. Generally, after a hectic month at The International, the players take some much-needed time off Dota 2 for a few months. It appears that this time, Sébastien "Ceb" Debs' sojourn would be much longer than usual. After their tragic defeat at the hands of Team Spirit in a lower bracket elimination game, Ceb mentioned his potential retirement in a tweet.

Ceb had taken time off Dota 2 in the past, only to return six months later

After OG hit the incredible milestone of two back-to-back TI wins, many followers had speculated that most of them would retire shortly after. In effect, only Jesse "Jerax" Vainikka announced his retirement from competitive Dota 2.

Anathan "ana" Pham has been in and out of the active OG roster between the Internationals. It was no different last year as well, where his absence was prolonged by the absence of a TI. He eventually followed in Jerax's footsteps after the second leg of the DPC in this year's Dreamleague Season 15 Western Europe.

Alongside ana, Ceb had also decided to take time off Dota 2 in January 2020. It was not a retirement per se. He only took himself off the active roster. The reason that Ceb cited was similar to ana, that he was trying to strike the right balance between competitive Dota 2 and social life, which was becoming an increasingly difficult conflict. Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, the current carry for OG, was then a stand-in for Ceb on an entirely separate contract than now, as Ceb had remained as a coach.

Roughly six months later, Ceb decided to step back in as the team's mainstay offlaner, right before the OGA Dota PIT Season 2. It was the competition that drove him, as the official OG statement had reflected upon his return.

The current circumstances are different from 2020. At 31, Ceb is an experienced TI veteran who has won the biggest Dota 2 title twice, and has been through thick and thin for OG. He might return to coaching OG, although the possibility of that is still speculation until further official updates. Meanwhile, this also calls to attention what other OG members want. Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitseinen, for one, had been considering retirement following TI 10.