How a Nerdy Nobody Became Esports' Biggest Chad

There are certain tournaments in esports that will change your life if you win - and nowhere is that truer than at TI. From having your name etched onto the Aegis, to claiming the lion’s share of a bajillion dollar prize pool, there’s nothing like watching someone’s life change as they knock down the last tick of health on that final, fateful Ancient.
But for Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen lifting the Aegis of Champions wasn't a fleeting moment of celebration - it was the starting point for a transformation that no one could have expected.
Written by: Dimitri Pascaluta (@DPascaluta)
Edited by: Matt Massey
Produced by: Miles Hackett (@miles_hackett)
Thumbnail by: Fermin Mulett
Production Assistance by: Devin Coull (@Fake_DevinCoull)
Footage Credits:
pastebin.com/843t89XG
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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[@zoidcore6948]

It literally took a pandemic to stop this man for claiming his 3rd Aegis. Dadson pog

[@johnmichaelchupita2502]

Same with ana😂😂

[@NotoriousCGM]

nah Ana just predicted and took the chance to continue his academics

[@NotoriousCGM]

@@johnmichaelchupita2502 hahaha the predicted is just a joke my friend :) but the academics is real.. Notail and OG management grant him permission to finish his academic... but guess what haha Pandemic happens and TI was cancelled so probably Ana will be back next year to get the god damn salary and trophy AGAIN!

[@Triantalex]

false.

[@jaredchacon2645]

actually though lmao

[@acinixys]

Love this guy. Went from a nobody to a tier 1 player, to a back to back TI winner, and also became a dad this year. Absolute chad

[@wallthemart]

I used to watch his rank games when he was just a regular 8k teamless player. I watched a couple of games and i was wondering "hey this guy is actually holding his own against pro players pretty well". I told my friends who were big on canceL that this topson guy is pretty good how is he not in a team.. and they were like "nahhh he's a nobody."

[@NoobMicesters]

@@wallthemart so perhaps you could say you were an og fan of topson? Sorry ill leave now

[@xi3382]

@@NoobMicesters pepescoots nice one sir

[@DuckyVanya]

I used to watch his rank games when he was just a regular 8k teamless player. I watched a couple of games and i was wondering "hey this guy is actually holding his own against pro players pretty well". I told my friends who were big on canceL that this topson guy is pretty good how is he not in a team.. and they were like "nahhh he's a nobody."

[@ordine8142]

Topson never won any major tournaments with OG except at the 2 TI cus he knows that any major tournaments prizepool cant compare to TIs prizepool PogU

[@jerometorres2809]

Translation on what jerax said to topson: "Hey topson, how are you? We got a seat on the team, are you up?

[@dannypratama4235]

Topson when that moment happen : ahhh my life is coming 👍

[@nickyfandino8529]

@@dannypratama4235 More like "is this catfish?"

[@browniesberteme6052]

Thanks man

[@diporasyid]

@@nickyfandino8529 I'd be suspicious tho, jerax just casually made a life changing offer with the biggest esport competition coming in several weeks, via steam chat lol

[@KagirinaiYonaka]

It's actually "are you down?"

[@jabecinco3929]

"First two were pretty easy. So why not go and get the third one?" -GODSON

[@joelandjake]

As a military saying goes, "The only easy day was yesterday."

[@bukangodzilla3256]

Yes i hope he can achive 3peat or just 3 ti like skt in league of legens

[@seankevinliao5440]

2020 said "hold my virus"

[@mangekoytvofficial]

If only theres is no pandemic,they should be celebrating their 3rd straight TI Champions.👍☺️

[@tsuol7296]

three times the charm

[@ZyoriTv]

My topson interview made it in! IIRC, I was the only person in the press room that interviewed him at that TI.

[@hegihrywn320]

Thankyou for the interview !

[@konte641]

Which one is it 😄 time stamp please?

[@eyescarter3025]

@chan keat I think it was the one at 5:24

[@konte641]

@@eyescarter3025 thanks!

[@varence7007]

Modcheck

[@melafeli]

"first two were pretty easy...." The line that can only be spoken by him.

[@postreroleumell.5082]

I mean literally tho they had nothing to lose

[@rizalbasiron6124]

so true..

[@icesun0848]

yep mate.

[@potatowarrior88]

We'll actually *Four* specific people can say that as well.... 😏

[@Stazmanian]

@@potatowarrior88 well not really, CEB I guess and Jerax, but notail and Ana had been in Ti before and didnt win.

[@razor202ndang5]

Ceb: slay them with respect Topson: dive into fountain

[@arielmonsalud6222]

F*ck them up bois

[@jazzymaluto2862]

Spray losers 😂

[@funpuns085]

And don’t look back while they all die

[@lufeikun4385]

lmao hard on this 1

[@jeffrielcardasto6692]

@@arielmonsalud6222 jerax at his finest

[@Ark--fn8my]

Ana be like: Ti? You mean my yearly paycheck

[@sheeeshmaster6418]

Guess he didn't get his yearly pay cheque

[@teddanville6996]

Covid be like: sit the f*** down.

[@darrenalmeida01]

they used to hate ana for replacing miracle at one point

[@nutk3917]

@@darrenalmeida01 changes are hard, like the current Jerax > Saksa

[@melancholy9236]

He is back on his summer job

[@amanshah1611]

DUDE, the meme i made on reddit is featured in a Score Esports video, my life is fullfilled. PS i made the default immortal arcana meme

[@03692228520]

very cool

[@gahlol7069]

Nice one dude

[@iamspikefire5127]

Proud of you man

[@leonardogonzalesiii7356]

Nice

[@Gin_val]

GJ man

[@xyr3s]

He always had it in him. The money just gave him the confidence to flip the switch. It's the same with alot of people.

[@umutyildirim8195]

Yeah sometimes you need a complete change but it costs a lot

[@kodingbae]

fr ive seen so many of my friends change for the better when they finally make their own money

[@BeastOrGod]

"3 million dollars, biggest individual prize in history" Dota 2 be like "Oh you won? here, 5 million each"

[@pr_ank_sisters]

Topson's life is every Dota2 players' dream come true.

[@cripplingdepression213]

I once had that dream..

[@TheJerbol]

every esport player's dream honestly

[@pirc6308]

u mean join a team with your first big tournament and won it. ? yeah...

[@davelabaguis9463]

I had a dream where notail invited me in their team personally ☹️

[@davelabaguis9463]

He even give me a hug

[@cristianperezbrunet7944]

Those 2 dislikes are the ones who lost their girlfriends to Chadson XD

[@martyndavidson6598]

No, just salty pro's who lost to him.

[@danangbayu4338]

12 dislike now XD

[@mambiwhoknows2501]

Something tells me that more dislikes are coming

[@pepeknight]

She can't leave me if I leave her for Chadson first

[@straycatcrest1813]

Make that 23

[@Ricky-oz4ic]

His and Ana's hero pool is the memest duo in the pro scene. Add Jerax's character and talent, then bigdaddy and mad's leadership. Pooof 2 time baby.

[@regulardudedoingregularstu1046]

Add Ceb calling the right initiations as an offlaner = win set

[@szjc3451]

@@regulardudedoingregularstu1046 He said mad's Ceb's first dota IGN is FuckingMad, lol.

[@regulardudedoingregularstu1046]

@@szjc3451 yeah I know. Just giving due credit to his Epic Initiating Skills

[@winston.pulaaa]

WINGS was the team with the most unexpected hero pool, those 5 guys pull out lineup out of thin air, but yes, him and Ana got the memest duo

[@qi5017]

@@winston.pulaaa yeah I remember wings gaming for their unexpected hero line-up.

[@OctopiWalgreens]

Can’t believe topson won back to back TIs AND invented the olof boost. A true legend

[@tortolus3222]

Miracle is dazed and confused

[@wheresthesouuuup9459]

The jumping double from Topson

[@Haris-bg4jy]

im too dumb,can someone explain the joke please?

[@HasH0196]

@@Haris-bg4jy The Score usually try to fit in the olofboost and the jumping coldzera in most of the videos.

[@202215jaffe521]

@@HasH0196 and also the Simp1e cache no scope from heaven

[@xMuddaFudda]

My favorite will always be Dogson, I remember how Ame and PSG.LGD focused this man so hard in TI8 that he was dog sh*t during most of their games. That just proves just how potent he was, if you didn't deal with Topson, he would ruin you. If you dealt with him, Ana would surely destroy you.

[@sumbratko]

You just literally pick your poison

[@phantomsixthman8807]

Im a huge topson fan, but LGD didnt pick or focus on him during TI8. Topson was humiliated by Somnus on the early laning on all those games, Lgd prolly thought they could just leave Topson, but Topson being so imaginative created tons of space for Ana to win them that series. TI9 was when they really focused their attention on Topson but literally couldnt do anything anymore against the transformed Godson

[@pr_ank_sisters]

@@phantomsixthman8807 They literally had to ban most of his heroes and counter him on all the games just to control the man.

[@laserdemonfrostmage8421]

Lgd banned ana and topson’s signatures for game 5 of that grand final btw

[@michael_vizcaya]

@@phantomsixthman8807 LGD literally banned most of Topson's heroes and camp him on mid. It was their game plan to focus Topson, they said so themselves

[@B16B34R]

The chaddest of chads, the chadster dadster himself

[@rarapost6146]

Topson matured through 2 TIs well. While Faker, still the same. It felt like watching Faker development is too slow and starts to get boring, Topson development through 2 TIs from nobody, topson, godson, chadson, and finally dadson.

[@freshlymemed5680]

@@rarapost6146 It probably comes with the game, League has fights that end before they even began and don't have as much room for this sort of creativity. Take a look at the Gyro fight. Topson going out of tower would have had him killed in league.

[@oriijin5639]

@@rarapost6146 man have you seen Faker in his early years? Guy has an acne-ridden face and basically not attractive at all but over the years look at him, he's a fricking KPOP star now. Pretty much same happened to Topson too.

[@cappymons8191]

The 2018 miracle run of OG is still the best anime iv ever watched

[@idonothingallday9853]

Everybody gangster till Godson starts smiling when he buys Dagon on his mid Axe

[@Mezha07]

LMAO 2020 was so scared that Godson would ascend into an even higher being after this TI that they just decided to have corona instead

[@countdookie6987]

And it was all because of china. They got scared their teams might get shat on by Godson for the 3rd time,

[@Stazmanian]

Topson, Chadson, Godson... youre right I dont even know.what Being he can ascend to next.

[@pko_2.0_pop7]

Secret and OG would have been strong contender. China conspiracy; spreading covid to make WEU performance burnt out and started to bombed out through the season when the LAN event return in 2021. However they still failed to win TI because of another dark horse that was Spirit xD. I'm glad CN conspiracy mission been failed by Spirit. Since then, WEU are recovering to slay CN team again

[@BendyLeg]

THE POWER OF FLOWERS AND FRIENDSHIP! My all time favorite line.

[@potatowarrior88]

Topson : Transforming to your best self Ana : Over comming adversity Jerax : Stay solid, and stick to your values Ceb : Be there when your friend needs you Notail : Honor friendship and love Seriously? How could they *NOT* be the best

[@Apckz99]

Ceb most important role and the best coach, he can calm down all teams if the got frusttion and headache to back stay humble and focus.

[@farihalubaba0810]

Still the best even if not at their peak.

[@cloudwalker679]

@@Apckz99 Ceb to everyone: You f*cking donkey Ceb to his team: Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous

[@swarnenduchakraborty4700]

the chineese needed covid to stop og

[@erick3522]

traits of how 5 people became 2 time CHAMPIONS

[@CheeKiatTeo]

Fly leaving and topson coming in was the best thing that ever happened to Dota. He truly had an unparalleled understanding of the game and was a joy to watch

[@zero2hero751]

I use to pay this mans rent, I used to watch topson on twitch before he made it, streaming everyday for 5 viewers I always knew he would win a TI Or 2!! If he got the chance

[@RDEdera93]

GG's to u man

[@ljchicken1885]

This is what every reddit modder wishes would happen

[@amare2014]

LMAO TRUEEE

[@bobbruh8538]

Won’t

[@fifi.mp4984]

HAHA

[@enso8762]

Modder or mod?

[@enso8762]

@@doggger i know, I'm asking because he said "modder" instead of "mod" 🤦‍♂️

[@ethanbowman3103]

Such amazing unbiased content 😍

[@koi9830]

Ironic

[@projectaspect2906]

Sarcasm you mean? ببجسي

[@MsOla-zz3dd]

the point is he wants to have a losers content as well Kekw

[@michaelh7022]

12:26 Topson to his daughter:"gonna teach you how to play DotA, hmmm! gonna be best DotA player" She too dangerous to be kept alive xD

[@e-rabbid9092]

>wife appear >"No, don't play Dota. It will ruin your life."

[@fl1m98]

topson: earns millions of dollars playing dota also topson to his baby: dont play dota, it will ruin your life

[@PedroOliveira-pd3tg]

lmao

[@hacker-7214]

when did he say that

[@Diablo-rd4ow]

@@hacker-7214 at 12:35

[@Andytlp]

Hes not wrong. 99.99% of players dont make any $ from playing it.

[@user-mc2lg4iw9e]

@@Andytlp bruhh dota players do make money by playing it (e.g. that tournament he play//stream//couching players and many more). You just dont know about it

[@iamspikefire5127]

I really love learning about the storylines of each esports player from so many different gaming scenes, we are truly blessed to have content like this so often. Thank you theScore for your fantastic coverage on such a large spectrum.

[@andrewsujitha4726]

Get to know about miracle! He really does what he means.

[@oliverestoce3440]

everytime I hear ODpixel "the power, of flowers and friendship" I literally get goosebumps

[@sisronweasley2074]

I don't play or even know much of DOTA 2, but these OG videos are my favorites. The things this team went through is insane! Huge respect for all 5 of them.

[@penontonyoutube8150]

The chat between topson and his brother at the end, is the source of our pandemic this year, and it all coming together

[@hmmmm689]

From: Who the hell is topson To: Topson! Nobody can stop this man. 🤣 100% winrate at TI. HAHA

[@kev6661]

Just wanna say how nice it is to have Josh back more regularly for these episodes!

[@francisco-kikoensomo7258]

Fun fact - Topson is the only player with a 100% winrate that joined TI more than once

[@NanaSHIT1831]

He doesn't have a 100% win rate, he only has a 100% TI win rate

[@haukurgylfigislason5645]

@@NanaSHIT1831 "only" lmao

[@NanaSHIT1831]

@@haukurgylfigislason5645 I mean come on, 100% TI winrate is the least of his accomplishments

[@francisco-kikoensomo7258]

@DECADE yup in current time he's 66.66% winrate

[@Wigglyass]

One of my favourite stories in all of e-sports, everyone dreams of getting picked up out of no where and then instantly popping off, anyone’s life can really just turn around in just a split second

[@likeitornot6823]

Ceb and Notail : Play what hero you like to play Kuroky and Puppey : No man its not gonna work😂

[@JoshHillRacing]

He wasn't shy, he's just Finnish

[@mesiyathefelinegod9608]

Wow, when did Arnold Schwarzenegger play Dota 2? Such a chad

[@maguyonseanlewis7696]

Thank God I'm not the only one who thinks he looks like arnold

[@DuckyVanya]

I love it when you make dota videos. Thank you

[@Anarkey]

Topson is the real life equivalent of an anime protagonist. And he joined OG, which had anime-level betrayal. Balanced, as everything should be. This puts a smile on my face.

[@joatvictor]

It is even crazier when you realize TI was his first lan tournament few weeks after notail call him.

[@greenteaisgreen1587]

3:56 lmao

[@nixxgg]

5:46 that keyboard key cap pop-out 😄😄

[@azvnoit]

Hey hey, thanks theScore esports for including my comment. Wow!! Made my day, thank you.

[@jspr1te529]

“difFUsal gyrocopter.” “...wait, what?” “difFUsal....gyrocopter” Never gets old

[@anshumaanpurohit6707]

i like how you highlighted the FU. Lol

[@JakeGittes84]

Why is that so controversial? Typical dota mentality to never think outside the box and always do what's expected of you. Yuck.

[@farrel_ra]

@@JakeGittes84 indeed, that play makes him worthy of two time champs

[@laserdemonfrostmage8421]

JJ Gittes well diffusal is a situational item tbf but it was perfect for that game.

[@shibdog]

@@JakeGittes84 its because it burns less mana when picked up by ranged hero thats why it was controversial at first 🤷‍♂️

[@brunooromoo]

damn dude, I missed your voice... thank you for coming back!

[@seadogss]

Ti9 was his era for me. No one can stop and beat him mid at that time

[@AdmiralPotatoGaming]

When notail said: everything can work All of them literally applies it on the main stage

[@jaronandnat]

omg he said "the topson she told you not to worry about" i'm crying!

[@WaterFly2149]

True I watch him and his gameplay everyday since the dota 2 old version I said to myself from him he will win that fight in sports champion he's good (it was long time ago). Since then, when I watch in 2018 in youtube ,I believed my eyes and feeling he really did it like my mind just explode in mid air (also goosebumps), and I'm happy for him thou.

[@o2ranner19]

Coming back here after knowing they qualified for TI10, hearing you say again "We're coming for the third ring... The first two were pretty easy," I must say it's gonna be on you, Topson, to do the lion's share of the grind towards that third ring. Best of luck boys.

[@Morkoo]

3:14 That translatation though :'D

[@user-hz1pn6og1h]

Godson is actually the perfect example of what a dota player should be, together with the dream team OG, be like water, take whatever form necessary & find a way to win. Problem is most players abide too much on the meta, which kinda dulls them, unless other pros realize this & if jerax comes back, OG will hold the aegis for a very long time.

[@UncleR4y]

Maan i really love these videos. I dont even play these videogames, but it's cool to know about these wonderkids

[@literallynobody6057]

This guys is such an inspiration! ❤

[@sianathaniel6727]

The 89 dislikes are from fly, just different accounts

[@yellowlane6911]

"TOPSON INVOKER DOING IT BIG TIME ON THE MAIN STAGE!"

[@atlock]

Aaaaand he's back!!!!❤

[@mr.n476]

from an unknown pub star to a 2x TI winner back to back. what a guy!

[@shutterhisuka8435]

"What if I told you, you can be a gamer and a good father at the same time.” - Topson 2021

[@tokyoreforged7851]

Goosebumps when he saaid Why not get the third one Im goinna fkin worsship him if they sstiill won the third aegis

[@CasualGamingEnthusiast]

3:55 i spit out my food deym u 🤣😂

[@goshofmischief]

the first player who won his first TI on his first appearance in the largest esports event.

[@qi5017]

What I could say is Topson is living his dreams. I mean every man's dream tho he became success in his DOTA2 career, became a champion not once but twice, have a swollen body (Like a mfking JoJo), and having a family. From nerd to gigachad 💪.

[@user-zm6lt9ln4o]

how to stop OG getting their 3rd Aegis... "Pandemic"

[@smothdude]

More like JerAx retiring :( He was so integral to the team. Obviously understand why, but he was soooo important

[@funpuns085]

@@smothdude honestly I won’t blame him, he did the impossible and became a part of one of the greatest if not the greatest team that dota has ever seen. If I was him I would have done the same thing.

[@smothdude]

@@funpuns085 Yep. Plus if it's giving him mental health issues and he wants to pursue something else to be happy? 1000% worth it

[@funpuns085]

@@smothdude yeah and he has the money to do so, so it’s great

[@pko_2.0_pop7]

Secret and OG would have been strong contender. China conspiracy; spreading covid to make WEU performance burnt out and started to bombed out through the season when the LAN event return in 2021. However they still failed to win TI because of another dark horse that was Spirit xD. I'm glad CN conspiracy mission been failed by Spirit. Gladly, WEU are recovering as well to slay CN team again.

[@charloteagari5120]

This guy is the definition of Creating new meta And something new without getting flamed

[@ineedmorecarrots6063]

topson and ana is the living meme of "that one quiet kid"

[@elnajanequiros2028]

Topson : not overly confident team Also topson: we’re just gonna beat every team 🤣✌️ love this guy!

[@HamzaKhan-lg6yk]

I love to see a arsalan ash story and was happy to see him in the vedio just a glimpse made me happy

[@diwashrai2084]

Ti8 is the best storyline ever in esports nothing beats it..regarding the context and how impossible it seemed

[@McBlackCreeper]

Love his story, it's realy great what he accomplished but he also shows another thing: I'm not ugly, I'm poor :(

[@yogiabdullahbl2098]

100% TI Grand Finals winrate

[@aungthureinminaungthureinm7392]

Nice video dude

[@jwinterspring]

My fave player. I went back to dota because of this guy. He knows the art of dota too much that he tinkers with it easily.

[@qwertylikespectre2630]

YapZor: He is a weirdo Topson:........ I win 2 TI, being weirdo makes you a winner YapZor:. 😭😭😭😭

[@peacechan4500]

12:35 topson being super relatable

[@pihda77]

I still remember him nervously saying "i think zeus" to "pugna is fucking good" dude had the steepest mountain to climb. First LAN event TI, then playing gods like sumail and somnus. I'd shit my pants when i get ganked.

[@Demigod8060]

dude is a beast!! much respect!

[@idumdumbo1243]

surely do one for ana, the australian who shows up just in time to take TI and then leaves just as fast. Shits Wild

[@Cyclops0000]

People are stupid. They see someone doing something a bid differently and immediately assume it's not going to work. If the person has some intelligence then there's a good chance it's just a strategy you haven't considered yet.

[@humanwright8765]

Archon To Divine bracket : That won't work if the pros haven't done it before.

[@NanaSHIT1831]

You're making his plays look too tame, it isn't just a little bit different, its REALLY different, that is what made his exploits so amazing, is the fact that he made his own meta. Besides those plays that he did isn't always a TI winner, there were a lot of instances that he lost because of his play style though it isn't show for the sake of narration.

[@bongalberttio318]

"craziest idea when it's successful become the greatest idea"

[@cinderburn2660]

Because more often than not, it doesn't work. That is how meta is made. From hundreds of games only those builds or comp that are reliable becomes the meta. To try out a different build on a major tourney is literally crazy. Sure, the diffusal gyro worked that game but what if it didn't? He would be the greatest idiot for that game. That is why he is not only a genius but also a ballsy one to have the courage to take that risk.

[@finalheroheavenswrath746]

Digging the HOTS shirt bro! Good game!

[@DKtrek21]

This is man is like DoinB before DoinB. Unconventional, explosive,reliable. Nobody is as confident as him playing non meta or new strat and live up to the expectations.

[@aad4186]

He's topdad now

[@faisalalzarouni7192]

i like how he's wearing as heroes of the storm shirt

[@theodoremananquil2293]

11:13 i love how JerAx throws miracle to the ancient creep and asked for a high five

[@elnoone9893]

Loveing the HoTS t-shirt! Héroes of the storm 4 life!

[@T4gProd]

I mean, if I won a few million dollars, I'd probably hire a stylist too. I'm super happy for Chadson, he seems like a nice guy.

[@cwatts6155]

The fact that a Finn, who are naturally VERY reserved people, is screaming and celebrating like that just shows how big TI is.

[@ejaypadua199x]

When rtz is talking about the dota pressure. I remember tb hahaha

[@troy10troytroy]

i can only imagine how pressuring it is to fight against OG in the drafting phase.

[@pullobestfriend6735]

14:10 w33ha: damn son i can't even win once and this guy have 2 wins out of 2 already

[@lost7g636]

w33: Why does people keep picking monkey mid? *30 minutes later w33:😳😳😳

[@rjortilano4967]

after that they ban monkey next game

[@rawpons.1882]

The thing is his team trusts each other 100%.

[@111trakker]

That heroes of the storm shirt where it’s at. That’s an esports scene I’d like to see come back

[@JT-bs2lm]

Host talking about DotA while representing Heroes of the Storm shirt lol.

[@KenkenL]

HotS is ded

[@joshuasuansing4707]

12:35 He's right kids

[@gagomeganonph7210]

I miss the original squad. they helped me to suppress my depression

[@magnivincere6640]

There's literally one video per every TI8/TI9 champion roster on theScore Esports

[@aqushameister]

Mans went from “I’ll bring her back by 10” to “she calls me daddy now”