Who is N0tail? Everything about the highest earning Dota 2 The Internationals player

N0tail is currently the richest Dota 2 player (image via RedBull)
N0tail is currently the richest Dota 2 player (image via RedBull)

When OG was eliminated from TI10 by Team Spirit on the fourth day of the mainstage, some among the Dota 2 community were shocked.

However, OG still holds the unique record of winning The International not only twice, but back-to-back, in 2018 and 2019. It is hard to pin the reason why it achieved this incredible feat, but if there is one OG member who stands above the rest, it is the team's captain, Johan "N0tail" Sundstein.

N0tail has four Major and two TI wins to his name. With an astounding $7,176,371 of tournament earnings, he has the highest net worth evaluation of any Dota 2 professional.


N0tail and Fly: The biggest rivalry in the history of Dota 2

Humble beginnings in Heroes of Newerth

N0tail's history with Tal "Fly" Aizik began outside of Dota 2. The two friends used to play Heroes of Newerth competitively since they were 15. They bagged a number of LAN tournaments, starting with DreamHack Winter 2011, whilst working for Fnatic.EU. This Fnatic.EU roster also holds the record of winning four consecutive DreamHack LAN events.


N0tail before OG

When the competitive Heroes of Newerth scene began to dissipate, N0tail and Fly transitioned to Dota 2 along with the rest of their Fnatic.EU roster. After a shaky series of months, the team dominated tier-1 Dota 2 events, both LAN and online, with consistent top placements.

After their 8th place finish in TI 2013, N0tail and Fly dreamt of greener pastures. They had their eyes on the ultimate prize of Dota 2: lifting the aegis of The International. After two years of playing in star-studded Team Secret and Cloud9 rosters, the two made their own team, (monkey) Business.

This (monkey) Business stack was later rebranded as OG in 2015. OG's early years parallel the current-day Evil Geniuses; both went into TI as Major-winning favourites, only to underperform and crumble under pressure.


The 'betrayal' arc

After they placed 9-12th and 7-8th in TI 2016 and 2017 respectively, the unthinkable happened in the 2018 DPC. Fly, who owned part of OG, decided to sever his old ties with N0tail and left the OG 'flowerhouse'. He joined the Evil Geniuses 'powerhouse' in hopes of getting closer to the aegis. Since then, this has been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Dota 2 by the dumbfounded community.

Ironically, by leaving OG, Fly missed his chance to win TI. Left with an incomplete squad months before TI 2018, N0tail managed the incredible feat of real-life comeback: lifting the aegis with a rag-tag band of unproven talent. The rest is history.

To make two back-to-back TI wins possible, N0tail's perseverence was a big factor, as was his versatility. Previously a core player since his Fnatic.EU days, N0tail was recognized for his world-famous micro-plays on heroes like Meepo and Naga Siren. He utilized these strengths to transition into a support, known by his position five Nature's Prophet.