Topson


Topias Miikka Taavitsainen, better known as Topson, is a Finnish professional Dota 2 player for OG. As a member of OG, he won The International 2018 and The International 2019.

Early life

Topias Miikka Taavitsainen was born in Haukipudas, Finland on 14 April 1998. He was the eighth of twelve children in the Taavitsainen family, having seven brothers and four sisters. At the encouragement of his brothers, he began playing Defense of the Ancients when he was eight years old. His father owns a construction company and grew up as Laestadian family. His parents were doubtful if playing video games as a career would be profitable, but his eventual success of winning tournaments surprised his mother. He originally studied to be an electrician, but changed to cooking school after one year.
Taavitsainen made appearances on lower-level squads in events before his big breakthrough. While none of these teams made an impact, his gameplay got noticed. His breakout for professional scene moment came in 2017. He had joined the Russian organisation SFT e-sports, where they had decided to pick up an entirely new roster. It was the first time that he had played for a high-tier team. After trying his luck with several teams, he focused on streaming and soon topped the European region by way of MMR. He was then recruited to join OG in 2018.
At the International 2018, Taavitsainen and OG managed to win a 3-2 victory against PSG.LGD. The victory made Topson approximately 1.87 million, making him the highest-earning athlete that year in Finland. OG and Taavitsainen continued their reign as the International 2019 champions, defeating Team Liquid 3–1. In addition, Topson also was named the tournament's MVP.