Anathan: The two-time champion who watches Gordon Ramsay videos instead of practicing

The news about a 20-year-old Australian boy who won 15 MILLION dollars twice is astonishing to most people. While there is truth to that, Anathan “ana” Pham accomplished it with the assistance of his team. Achieving back-to-back Championships in Dota 2 is no small feat. Team OG is the only team to hold this achievement to date, and Anathan was instrumental in claiming each of the two trophies.

Anathan’s Philosophy

Ana is one of the most impactful players in his own role. From humble beginnings at a Chinese DOTA2 league, he joined OG when Notail invited him before OG was even relevant. Over his topsy turvy career he turned the game upside down with his innovative play-style and unparalleled game sense. He even introduced a new meta at last year’s International 2019. He turned a support hero, Io, into an unkillable carry and won 5 consecutive games with only Io at TI9. There is no doubt that he is the GOAT in DOTA2. As quoted from captain Notail: “Anything can work.”

One of the the core “strengths” of ana’s success is his routine and dedication, or lack thereof. A famous Twitch clip by Gorgc, has made the rounds around the web regarding Anathans practice habbits. In a clip from his stream, Gorgc said that he is actually angry that Ana doesn’t practice DOTA and doesn’t care, but still wins 2 Internationals. Instead of practicing with his team, Ana watches Gordon Ramsay videos and rotting food videos.

Part-time Job as a Pro Player

After winning the second International last year, Ana decided to take a break off his pro career. Ironically, his career only lasted 3 months as he returned only to win The International and shortly after, retired again. While Ana is currently inactive, he answered TNC Predator’s request to play as stand-in at WeSave! Charity Play. Of course, being a two-time champion, expectations were high for the team to win, but they did not.

TNC did not stand a chance against their opponents, Team Adroit, despite Ana playing his signature heroes. It’s quite clear that Ana alone would not have achieved what he is today without team OG. The duo supports, Jerax & Notail, enable him to become a major threat against their foes. While OG’s mid player, Topson, delivers the plays at the expense of his own farm priority to allow Ana to go late game. Furthermore, they were able to execute these effectively without feeding kills. Of course, let’s not forget Ceb, the motivator and offlane player.

Future with OG and potential return

These days, OG is known for being a trickster team that loves aggressive mind games against their opponents. Indirectly taunting enemies into feeling devastated over a minor mistake is their true goal. As ridiculous as it sounds, it works so effectively, to a point where teams mute OG players before the game begin. For instance, during the TI8 finals, PSG.LGD players discussed about pre-muting OG during the game.

Unfortunately, there are no news about Ana’s whereabouts right now, nor does he stream. Apparently, he only wants to enjoy his quiet life as an ordinary teen for now. He announced however, that he will only be returning in 2021 for the International 11.

Knowing Anathan, he might just decide he wants a 3rd trophy and show up at The International 2020 to bring OG closer to a three-peat. For now, The International 2018 and 2019 True Sight is available to watch if you want a walk down memory lane.