In a startling turn of events, renowned Dota content creator and investigator, Morf-designer, popularly known as Morf, has dropped a bombshell expose on his YouTube channel, shedding light on the shadowy depths of the 322 scandal within the Dota 2 pro scene in the Western Europe region. The focus of Morf’s investigation? None other than the Major champion and former OG star, Tommy “Taiga” Le.
Here’s a reminder: back in May 2023, the Dota community thought that the 26-year-old Norwegian’s performance had steeply declined due to his long-standing mental health problems. He subsequently left the struggling OG in the midst of Dota 2 Pro Circuit WEU Tour 3 with four remaining games, being replaced by Adam “Aramis” Moroz.
However, skepticism loomed large, with observers questioning the true nature of Taiga’s decline. Among them was a former professional, Yaroslav “Limitless” Parshin, who boldly accused Taiga for betting on his own match.
Despite initial doubts, the community rallied behind Taiga, choosing to respect his commitment to addressing his mental health concerns. However, Morf’s recent exposé has reignited discussions surrounding Taiga’s tumultuous past, shedding new light on the murky world of esports gambling.
The Russian connection
The story reveals that Taiga had partnered with banned player Alexander “Sensibility” Filatov during his time with OG to bet on numerous esports events. Back then, Taiga provided inside information for Sensibility as references for his bets. However, Sensibility grew frustrated with Taiga’s methods as they gradually lost their money.
Neck-deep in debt, Sensibility asked Taiga to accept an offer from his friend, a member of a Russia-based 322 mafia, who then pushed Taiga to bet on his own team, OG. The condition for winning the bet was on the side that took First Blood, which was eventually fulfilled in a series between OG and Entity during final week of DPC WEU Tour 2 in April 2023.
Fueled by their initial wins, Taiga and Sensibility went on a bit of a betting spree, and it paid off at times. But things got tense when Taiga decided to call it quits on the whole betting stuff and focus on playing straight for the Riyadh Masters in August 2023. On his account, Taiga claimed that Sensibility hit him with a threat, saying he’d spill the beans about his gambling habit online if he didn’t keep betting in that competition.
However, his story conflicts with Sensibility’s claim regarding the blackmailing part, which the latter insisted he did not push Taiga to do it. Sensibility further elaborated that Taiga left him so he could arrange a bigger deal with the 322 mafia to rack up more cash, which is why he leaked his story to Morf.
Although no further evidence has been presented, Taiga’s involvement in match-fixing makes it clear that no corner of the esports domain is immune to the sinister machinations of illicit elements, not even the big ones. It is now up to big esports organizers to impose stricter policies and rules to prevent such things in the future.
The Dota community awaits
Prior to this video, Morf conducted an interview with OG’s captain, Sebastien “Ceb” Debs, a few days ago to discuss Taiga’s possible involvement in match-fixing last year. Ceb admitted that although his team was unsure about the rumors, the management had already discovered Taiga’s gambling addiction, which worried them at the time. This morning, OG issued a public statement regarding the ongoing situation about Taiga.
Beyond OG, veteran Dota influencers and professionals across the globe have responded to Morf’s story as well, expressing their disappointment on social media, with most of them underlining the effect of gambling addiction on someone as respected as Taiga.
Additionally, the Dota community is now anticipating an announcement from Taiga himself and his current team, Leviatan, regarding this story. Last February, Taiga expressed his desire to retire from the competition but somehow changed his mind and quickly joined the newborn Peruvian team the following month.
