Do you want to know everything about Dota 2’s most successful player-N0tail?
The sunflower of Dota 2, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, is one of, if not the most recognizable player in the game. Being blessed with one of the most magnificent brains to grace Dota 2, he undoubtedly deserves all his success. Known as a smiling pillar for his teams, N0tail is one of the few 2-Time TI Winner in Dota 2.
Active since the beginning of Dota 2’s professional startings, N0tail is one of the scene’s pioneers. His brilliant mind has come up with many of the best drafts and is responsible for scouting insane players. Besides this, he is a believer in thinking that anything can work in Dota. Consequently, thinking out of the box and innovating on the spot are among his many strengths.
Personal History
Born on the 8th of October 1993, N0tail is just 28 and has much more to offer to the community. Unlike many players in Dota, he has double nationalities of both Denmark and the Faroe Islands. He was born in Denmark however, both his parents are from the Faroe Islands. Moreover, he is also the grandson of a former Faroese prime minister.
Being exposed to video games at an extremely early age, N0tail started playing games at just 2 years old. Additionally, his love of video games led him to drop out of high school early to focus on professional esports. Furthermore, this devotion made him become one of the youngest professional Heroes of Newerth players.
Career
N0tail became a household name in the Heroes of Newerth scene and started to win many trophies. This game was also where he met his best friend to be, Tal “Fly“ Aizik, with whom he matched up. Resultingly, this duo joined more players and caught the eye of Fnatic’s manager, who introduced them to professional tournaments.
After a few roster changes and the inclusion of N0tail and Fly in the existing Fnatic team, they dominated championships. With multiple online tournaments under their belt, they started to participate in even more offline tournaments. This proved extremely beneficial as the roster won their first LAN event in DreamHack Winter 2011.
Winning four more consecutive LAN DreamHack tournaments ended N0tail’s Heroes of Newerth career as the pro scene had decreasing activity. As a result, with the existing Fnatic roster, N0tail moved to the more popular game, Dota 2. This is where the awe-inspiring story of N0tail – 2-Time TI Winner in Dota 2 really starts.
Bouncing Around on Multiple Teams
Fnatic had difficulty adjusting to the newly found Dota 2 scene and could not win any tournaments. This streak ended, however, when N0tail won the Thor Open 2012 Lan event. Although this win was a confidence-booster, a few more underwhelming performances made kicking N0tail, and his buddy Fly a no-brainer.
After a very unsuccessful time at Fnatic, N0tail and Fly joined up with popular players; Kuroky, Puppey, and S4. This team called Team Secret was an all-star team studded with extremely frightening players but had no impressive feats. Kicked soon after from the roster, both friends ended up in Cloud9 for the International 5.
Cloud9 tried to survive in the tournament, but they disappointed fans in the main event and dropped out soon after. Disappointments, underwhelming performances, and toxic team environments were just some reasons why N0tail 2-Time TI Winner decided to form his own organization. Along with Fly, his new organization formed as (monkey) business, which transformed into OG soon after getting sponsored.
OG
Extremely excited and filled with energy after forming their own roster, OG and N0tail were ready to dominate. This team acted as both friends’ way to redemption as they won the Frankfurt Major right as they formed OG. They also added another tournament win to their arsenal by winning the Manila Major just before TI 6.
Entering TI 6 as favorites, they disappointed fans immensely after bombing out on the main stage on just day two. This loss was heartbreaking to the whole roster, and some changes to the team were due after this disheartening performance. Three teammates left the team, and Fly, and N0tail had no teammates before the new year.
However, this loss also brought positives as the new roster played as a dominating force once again in the DPC. Their exceptional plays made them the winners of both the Boston Major in 2016 and the Kiev Major in 2017. Winning these majors made N0tail and Fly the first players in Dota 2 history to win 4 Major tournaments.
At a peak in their self-confidence, OG yet again entered the TI7 as favorites only to bomb out once again. This loss resulted in being too much for Fly to deal with as he left only 3 months before TI8.
His best friend leaving OG and the death of his dog were almost too much for N0tail to deal with. However, being the rainbow he is, he mustered up his strength to move forward. Recruiting his former teammates and a pub star proved to be a very bold and successful move.
Winning Back to Back TIs.
Entering the International 8 through the open qualifiers with a group of misfits made people look at OG very negatively. Widely regarded as the worst team in the tournament, OG shut everyone up after absolutely pummeling through the upper bracket. Surprise wins, and unbelievable comebacks were the catalysts for N0tail’s astounding entrance into the grand finals.
An early lead by OG surprised many. However, LGD fought back with all they could, making the score 2-1. What came next was nothing less than proof of all that N0tail stands for, persevering to the best of his abilities. Playing absolutely exceptional Dota 2 while trying to grab any hope left allowed N0tail to win his first TI.
This win was a sign of N0tail overcoming his ever-long struggle to reach the top even after countless setbacks. Taking most of the year off after TI 8, no one thought OG had it in them to win. Many thought that recreating a fluke like the previous one would be impossible. However, OG’s naysayers had no idea what was coming next.
Unlike TI8, OG played much differently than in TI9, and they acted like bullies instead of playing to survive. Having already achieved everything he could ever want, N0tail and his roster acted like a different breed of players. Stomping their games and leaving no chance for any team to overcome them, OG ran through to the grand finals.
Drafting better than ever, N0tail’s support and his team played the best Dota 2 than they had ever before. Like TI9, OG overcame all their difficulties and lifted the Aegis for the second time. This accomplishment made OG the most successful team ever, and their heart N0tail, the richest esports player to exist.
Trivia and Statistics
Winning so many tournaments has made N0tail the greatest and most successful esports player in history. Besides this, he is the most decorated player in Dota 2 with wins of 2 TIs and 4 Major tournaments. Moreover, he is also the only Danish player to have the honor of winning TI. His achievements have led outlets like BBC and Red Bull Gaming to cover his story.
He was also named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list of gamers in 2019. To his name are a few more records which include having the highest average deaths in TI. N0tail broke this record in TI8 with 9.55 deaths per game. Apart from this, he also has the record for most deaths in the International ever, with an astonishing 20 deaths with Pugna.
The greatest esports athlete in world history, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, has faced many obstacles to come this far. Called a washed-up player and a burden to his team did not affect N0tail as he went on playing. This is exactly why reading this Player Spotlight: N0tail – 2-Time TI Winner is essential for every Dota player.
