Just like Randy Orton, out of nowhere, JerAx announced his retirement from professional Dota 2.
The news broke just a few hours ago on OG’s Twitter page that Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka, the team position 4 player, will take a permanent break from the pro scene. Jesse will remain as a member of the organization, but his future role was not discussed. A tribute night for the Finnish player will also be carried out soon as announced by OG.
In the official article, Jesse cited his decision was due to fatigue and “no willingness nor passion to play Dota 2 anymore”. However, he showed his appreciation for his journey and the people involved in it:
‘I have been very fortunate to have my spot as a professional player, and I can’t quite understand how I ended up at this point. Small things could have been different, and I would have never made it. I’ve seen the progress of this community the last 10 years and I have infinite respect for the passion-fueled people behind it, as all those have cemented Dota’s place in esports. Without you this scene wouldn’t exist.’ said Jesse.
During his time as an active player, JerAx established himself as one of the best position 4 players in the scene. An ex-Hero of Newerth player, JerAx went from a Twitch streamer that single-handedly made Valve nerf Earth Spirit every single patch to a 2-time Major winner and 2-time The International winner. People often remember about Saahil “Universe” Arora’s 6-million Echo Slam at TI5, but one of the most series-changing ones has to be JerAx’s during OG run at TI8. The play brought OG from dropping to lower bracket final to advancing to the grandfinal and eventually winning the whole thing.
With the departure of JerAx, the two-time back to back Dota 2 the International champion roster is now down two people, with Anathan “ana” Pham announcing his extended break a day earlier. Captain Johan “N0tail” Sundstein will now have to find two other players to fill the squad if OG are to participate in the third Major of this season. There were rumors that ex-Team Secret player Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng will join OG for upcoming tournament. Earlier this season, OG has announced their OG.Seed team with the objective of transferring the winning mentality and knowledge to the next generation of Dota 2 players.
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