The Story of ana and his Brief Domination of Dota 2 – eSportsBFF.com

Full Name: Anathan Pham

Nick: ana

Also known as: humblegod

Games: Dota, Dota 2

Current Team: Retired

Ex Team: OG

Date of Birth: October 26th, 1999 (22 years old)

Place of Birth: Australia

Nationality: Australian

Relationship Status/Partners: Anastasia/Suna

Here’s a story of Anathan “ana” Pham, a Dota prodigy that could afford a cushy early retirement thanks to his insane carry skills.

Who is ana?

Anathan Pham is one of the best Dota 2 carries ever to play the game. He is the first Australian to win a Valve-hosted eSports competition and one of the wealthiest players of Dota 2.

He is famous for the two consecutive TIs he won with OG in 2018 and 2019, along with Ceb, JerAx, Topson, and N0tail.

Ana’s favorite heroes include Ember Spirit, Phantom Lancer, and Spectre. His favorite position is in the middle lane.

Although ana’s considered a god in China, he surprised the Dota 2 pro scene with his retirement in 2021. This was shocking as Anathan was only 21 years old at the time.

Anathan lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has other plans for his career. However, there are many hints that he still enjoys the game and might get back in the seat in the upcoming period.

How Did ana Become Famous?

Ana’s big success was when he was drafted to play for Invictus Gaming as a replacement for Ferrari 430 when he was just 16 years old.

Although his sisters and mother had doubts about a professional gaming career, his older brother, who taught him how to play, convinced them to let him have a try in Shanghai.

When he appeared for the first time in the National Electronic Arena 2016 tournament, ana won first place and showed the world that he was a rising megastar. The same year, he moved to OG. 

Many considered this a risky move, as one of the finest carry miracles left the team to join Team Liquid. However, in December 2016, OG won The Boston Major and set the stage for a potentially big 2017.

Although the team played well and won The Kyiv Major in 2017, they ended up 7th-8th, losing to LGD in the TI that year.

But this meant nothing for ana and OG, and they set their eyes on the following TI. They won the qualifier and became the first team to win the TI as a qualifier in 2018.

They met with PSG.LGD in the grand finals. As OG was falling behind one game, they played the fourth game but seemed to be losing. 

After ana got ganked, he managed to sell his items in a split second before he was killed, thus securing buyback for himself. It even took teams, commentators, and audiences a whole minute to realize he achieved this so masterfully and quickly. This is remembered as the “Buyback” that will remain one of the most legendary plays the Dota 2 community ever saw.

OG eventually fought back and won 3:2 against PSG.LGD. That’s when ana was at his peak. When he won the second consecutive TI, ana’s worldwide popularity was cemented.

Ana Debut Teams

Anathan is one of the rare players that didn’t have to wait long to be drafted to top-tier teams. He played for Mobility Gaming in 2013 for a short period, but his biggest results came when he moved to Shanghai.

Given that ana knew that eSports in Australia had many difficulties in relation to ping and internet connection, he knew it would be best if he moved to another continent.

Luckily, in December 2015, ana joined the CDEC league, which allowed him to compete against some of the top Dota 2 Chinese players. 

He joined the famous Invictus Gaming as a sub for the famous Ferrari 430. However, he wasn’t entirely confident.

When he moved to China as a 16-year-old, he needed to drop out of school and start his pro career, which was a giant leap for his career.

During the NEA 2016 grand finals, he managed to defeat Newbie, thus proving he is one of the best up-comers the game ever saw.

In 2016, ana left the IG team as he wasn’t satisfied with the organization’s management. He soon joined the newly formed OG and went on to win two consecutive TIs with them.

Ana Streaming

Ana has a Twitch account by the name of anathan, although he doesn’t stream. He has roughly 2,500 viewers and no videos whatsoever.

Ana Relationship

Anathan tries to keep his private life behind the curtains as much as possible. Although he is known to take long vacations after a streak of successful tournaments, there’s not a lot of information regarding how he spends time on his own.

However, it’s known that Anathan has a girlfriend, an architect, and urban designer Anastasia/Suno (which is funny given she can also have a nick similar to ana’s).

The best thing is that Anastasia is also a Dota 2 fan, and the two even play together in their spare time, as you can see here.

Ana Statistics

Although his professional Dota 2 career was only five years, Anathan remains one of the highest-grossing and successful Dota 2 players.

Besides the two TIs in 2018 and 2019 that cemented his legendary status, ana also saw great success in masters and majors.

Some of his most notable achievements with the IG team were at the National Electronic Arena 2016, when he beat Newbie.

His luck stayed good when he joined OG. They won The Boston Major in 2016, The Kyiv Major in 2017, and The Internationals in 2018 and 2019—a feat never accomplished before.

Ana also scored multiple second places with OG, most notably The Summit 6, Dota Pit League Season 5, and Dota 2 Asia Championships 2017.

Credit: Kill Ping

Ana Personal Info

Ana was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 26th, 1999. As a child, he was super shy and secretive. This mysterious aura hasn’t left him ever since.

Chinese Decent

He grew up in a household with his two sisters, Akimi and Akitia, and with his older brother Alam.

In an interview from 2017, they describe ana as a shy person that won’t ever show his true intentions to anyone.

The funny thing is that in the same interview, you can see how ana is aloof, given that his sisters are more talkative about him than himself.

Ana played Dota 2 for 10 hours a day when he was younger. He even skipped school so he could play more.

When he was 16 years old, he was invited to join Invictus Gaming (IG) to play tournaments in China. You could say that this invitation from China changed his destiny for the better, as his mother is of Chinese descent but was against him playing Dota 2.

Given that the invitation came from Shanghai, his mother’s birth town, after some convincing from his older brother, ana got the green light to join the Dota 2 competitive scene.

Rivaling Himself

Although ana is regarded as one of the biggest Dota 2 players the world has ever seen, he doesn’t think the same way.

In fact, there are many instances when ana doubted his plays and skills. Some fans even thought of him as a highly volatile pro who sometimes fails to deliver basic tactics. However, these instances seem exaggerated when comparing these rare mistakes to some of the greatest plays the game has ever witnessed.

Given that ana is mostly an introvert, these fan theories and rare mistakes often take a toll on him and his general mood. They also affect his attitude towards the game. For instance, ana is in his early twenties, with millions of dollars thanks to his achievements. Despite that, he has supposedly retired for the second time in his career.

He describes that Dota 2 puts a lot of pressure on his personal life, and he doesn’t feel like the game has the same charm when he needs to play it in big tournaments.

Another way he manages to calm himself and get away from all the Dota 2 fuss is by cooking. He even idolizes Gordon Ramsey and tries his best to get to his pro culinary level. Who knows, thanks to his mental prowess, he might do so.

Seclude Vacations and Hiatus

As ana doesn’t handle the fuss surrounding the Dota 2 community well, he usually takes a hiatus immediately after he wins a tournament.

It’s unknown where or what he does on his vacations, but whenever he decides to come back and play more, it feels like he never stopped, as his former teammates describe. He was seen a few times with his OG teammates participating in some holiday hijinx, although Ceb, n0tail, and JerAx were way more in the spotlight.

You could say that ana is one of those players that can be unnoticeable but hugely influence the professional Dota 2 scene.

Although ana is still regarded as a Dota 2 god in China, in June 2021, he chose not to compete anymore. In a heartbreaking statement, ana announced that he’d like to move on in his life and open some new chapters.

Perhaps the other chapters of his life include cooking lessons with Gordon Ramsey or just spending more time with his girlfriend and family. Nevertheless, ending your career on a high note is a good thing.

However, fast forward to July, 2022, there are some rumors and Instagram hints that he might join Team Liquid in the future, as he played a few matches as a replacement on the team.

Ana’s Net Worth and Finances

It’s crazy how much Anathan made money throughout his 5-year-long career. His total of 6 million dollars is one of the highest players’ net worth in the Dota 2 eSports scene. In other words, that means he grossed more than $1 million per year!

Of course, the majority of his earnings come from winning two TIs when prize money for first place was around 15 million dollars. When Puppey won the first TI in 2011, the reward was fifteen times smaller!

Today, it’s not certain whether his net worth from Dota 2 competitions will grow again. Nevertheless, retiring at 22 with 6 million dollars in your bank account sounds like a good plan.

Ana’s Age

Anathan Pham is 22 years old as of October 26th, 2021.

Where Does ana Live?

Anathan Pham lives in Melbourn, Australia.

Ana’s Weight and Height

Ana weighs around 65kg and is approximately 1.67 tall.

Anathan Pham/ana FAQ

Who is ana’s girlfriend?

Ana’s girlfriend is an architect and urban designer named Anastasia/Suna, who sometimes plays Dota 2 with him.

What is ana’s real name?

Ana’s real name is Anathan Pham.

Is ana Chinese?

No, ana is Australian, coming from Melbourne, although his mom is from Shanghai.

What is the net worth of ana?

Ana is one of the highest-grossing Dota 2 players, with a net worth of 6 million dollars.

Does ana stream?

No, ana currently doesn’t stream.

Where was ana born?

Ana was born in Melbourne, Australia.

When was ana born?

Ana was born on October 26th, 1999.