Usually, when TI is won so dominantly, teams usually follow in some way to mimic that winner’s play-style. The most prominent example I could think of was when Wings won the TI, where people started to make more interesting line ups and changed how they played the game. With OG, and I don’t know if I am just not seeing it, I don’t really see much difference in teams playing.

It’s really hard to play OG’s playstyle especially if one belongs to a much lower bracket. What gives them (OG) the freedom to play that way is their skill and game knowledge. After the recent TI9, there was an uptick of Io usage. However, without the OG level skill and game knowledge, Io carry line-ups can only take you so far even with a coordinated team.

Their influence has to do more with team dynamics. A lot of pro teams can play “run at you” type of line-ups but to have the same confidence as them is very hard to replicate (like Liquid tried to do game 3 iirc). They trust each other so much that they always pull through even with non-traditional lineups.

Personally though, OG’s play-style has taught me that no matter what line-up you are playing, the most important thing is that you still have fun with the game no matter what the outcome. Winning is just a bonus.

OG’s influence perhaps has been more on team dynamics than play style. It’s no secret why Secret and other teams have been taking time off at the beginning of each season since TI8. Perhaps we’ll start seeing more team psychologists as well. OG sports psychologist said she didn’t have much work to do with the team since they were already on a good stat of mind already.

For everyone saying OG changed the team meta as opposed to the game meta, you’re right, but OG has also massively changed the game meta too. OG relies on fighting early and often. It’s not uncommon for OG to leave lanes and instantly start going for 4 man maneuvers around the map to make space for Ana, but it’s also not uncommon for Ana to join in these early fights. The days of ratting and farming in DotA are over. When was the last time you saw an am pick who didn’t participate in a fight until minute 25? It doesn’t happen anymore. Teams know that if you aren’t ready for OG to come at you at 15 minutes, you’re going to get rolled over and picked off constantly by their mobile and aggressive play style.

What OG has been doing to win the TIs they have been doing for years, it’s not some breakthrough thing.

Notail’s obssesion for years has been about :

1. Buffs
2. Sustain

You will see this in all their Major wins/TI wins.

Lots of Chen, lots of Wisp, Ench, BM, auras, buffs and heals. They literally won a major by picking 2 of WW/Undying/Wisp/Dazzle almost every game.

They are not a “sophisticated” team that revolutionizes the game.

What OG i think did do is prove that resource prioritization is a thing, what do i mean by that ? 5k gold by min 10 might be better on your offlaner than your carry, so you prioritize the offlaner’s lane.

Another aspect is their superior understanding of Roshan, knowing when to contest/when not to. I think Secret copied their approach to it a lot last season.

Start with picking a generic support/buff hero such as Vengeful Spirit, Dazzle, Winter Wyvern. Over a set of games swap your item build from a ‘standard’ boots-force-glimmer to basilius-headdress-buckler in different combinations and build orders. This will give you the basic appreciation of aura/buff impact as you will typically get them very early before big flashy plays matter.

Once you get the hang of it you will find that you more naturally notice the correct auras and team items for a given line-up.