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JerAx
Headshot of JerAx, wearing his team's green uniform, facing away from the camera, looking towards the left
Jesse (left) during The International 2018
Personal information
NameJesse Vainikka
Born (1992-05-07) May 7, 1992 (age 32)
Career information
Game
RoleSemi-support

Jesse Vainikka (born May 7, 1992),[1] better known as JerAx, is a retired Finnish professional Dota 2 player known for his playstyle with the hero Earth Spirit. He began his esports career in Heroes of Newerth before transitioning to Dota 2, where he had back-to-back victories at The International 2018 and The International 2019 with OG.[2][3]

Jesse's professional career includes various roles and teams. After his success with OG, he briefly retired from competitive play but made a return to the scene as the captain of Evil Geniuses. He then joined Team Liquid as a coach in mid-2022.

Career

[edit]
External videos
video icon Get to know the Real JerAx | Unfold Jesse 'JerAx' Vainikka on YouTube, 29 January 2020.

Jesse began his career with the Finnish team Rat in the dark in 2013. Over the years, he became part of several international teams, including 5Jungz, Team Tinker, Team Liquid and OG.[2][4][5][6] His achievements include being the first player to participate in four consecutive Dota 2 Major finals—Shanghai and Manila with Team Liquid, and Boston and Kiev with OG.[7]

Jesse's career took off in 2015 when he joined 5jungz, a roster that later became Team Liquid.[8] In 2016, he joined OG, where he won two Valve Majors and two The International titles,[8] achieving historic success with the team.[9] In 2018, he became the highest-earning individual player in esports, earning US$2,290,631.60 in prize money from Dota 2 championships.[10][9]

In an interview with esports journalist Duncan "Thorin" Shields, Jesse clarified that he left Team Liquid by choice due to his declining mental health. He cited stress, near burnout, low self-esteem and difficult living conditions as reasons for his departure.[11][12][13]

In 2020, Jesse auctioned his old gaming chair, which had the Team Liquid logo, to benefit the charity Save the Children.[14][15][16] The auction, conducted in collaboration with the Finnish talk show Valavuori Live, resulted in a sum of €5,300, surpassing the auction prices of signed jerseys from renowned football players Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney.[17][15][16] On December 9, 2022, Jesse announced his retirement from professional Dota 2, saying that his passion for the game was lost.[18][19][20] He returned briefly in 2021 for a six-month tenure with Evil Geniuses (EG).[8][21] He came out of retirement and joined Evil Geniuses for his return to competitive play in the Dota Pro Circuit.[22] In a post-match interview, Jesse mentioned his past experiences with Evil Geniuses' coach, Kanishka Sam "BuLba" Sosale and his admiration for teammates Andreas Franck "Cr1t-" Nielsen and Artour "Arteezy" Babaev made him join EG.[22]

He later moved into a coaching role with Team Liquid.[8][23][21] During his time with Team Liquid, the team faced a turbulent season but managed to qualify for The International 11 (TI11) through the Last Chance Qualifier and achieved a third-place finish at the event.[24] He left Team Liquid in December 2022.[8][23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "JerAx". Esports Charts. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  2. ^ a b "JerAx to help pros & semi-pros out of game in a special way | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  3. ^ Çakır, Gökhan (2023-03-10). "'Must have been while I was asleep': JerAx finds himself back on OG's Dota 2 roster, though it was all an illusion". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  4. ^ INQUIRER.net. "Kuroky Leads a New European Team". Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  5. ^ "On a path to The International 5 with mousesports". Red Bull. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  6. ^ "Dota 2 -maailmanmestarin yllätysratkaisu: Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka päättää peliuransa". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  7. ^ "Five Of The Highest Earners In Esports". estnn.com. 2020-09-18. Archived from the original on 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Dota 2 esports in 2024: What really needs to change? | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2024-07-15. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  9. ^ a b "JerAx says Manila Major 2016 was the peak of his career | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  10. ^ Kinnear, Cheree (2019-07-29). "Not all fun and games: The not-so-glamorous world of Esports". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  11. ^ Thooorin (2024-04-23). Don’t Think I Was a Stable Person [In TL]; I Lacked Self-Worth - Reflections with JerAx 1/3 - Dota2. Event occurs at 52:34. Archived from the original on 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-09-17 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Radovanovic, Bozidar (2024-04-24). "Dvostruki TI šampion JerAx otkrio zašto je napustio Liquid - RUR Esports". rur.rs. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  13. ^ "JerAx revela la verdadera razón por la que dejó Team Liquid en 2016". bitelgaming.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  14. ^ Team, Scoop (2020-07-05). "A Pro Gamers Chair Was Sold in Auction for More Than Football Jerseys Worn by Messi and Ronaldo!". Scoop Empire. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  15. ^ a b "Židle profesionálního hráče se prodala za víc, než podepsaný dres Lionela Messiho | PLAYzone.cz". www.playzone.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  16. ^ a b Rezafrds. "Kursi Gaming JerAx Lampaui Harga Jersey Messi dan Rooney". GGWP.ID (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  17. ^ Banerjee, Sonu (2020-05-04). "Esports Athlete's chair auctioned at $5.9K for charity: Messi, Rooney's merch together raises $7K". TalkEsport. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  18. ^ "JerAx explains his return to Dota 2 and why he joined Evil Geniuses | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  19. ^ OG_admin (2020-01-26). "Thank you, Jesse". OG Esports. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  20. ^ Hao, Dexter Tan Guan (2020-01-26). "OG's JerAx retires: "I have no willingness nor passion to play Dota 2 anymore"". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  21. ^ a b Çakır, Gökhan (2022-07-14). "JerAx confirms he's coaching Team Liquid's Dota 2 team, has been for some time". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  22. ^ a b "JerAx joining Evil Geniuses is the 2022 DPC season's biggest surprise | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  23. ^ a b Çakır, Gökhan (2023-09-04). "Dota 2 legend Jerax claims Ludwig's Greatest Gamer event was harder than Dota 2 tournaments". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  24. ^ "JerAx stops coaching for Liquid – "It didn't feel right … because I don't enjoy the game the same way as I used to."". esports.gg. 2024-07-23. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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