# JerAx

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**Jesse Vainikka** (born May 7, 1992),[1] better known as **JerAx**, is a retired Finnish professional *[Dota 2](/source/Dota_2)* player known for his playstyle with the hero Earth Spirit. He began his esports career in *[Heroes of Newerth](/source/Heroes_of_Newerth)* before transitioning to *Dota 2*, where he had back-to-back victories at [The International 2018](/source/The_International_2018) and [The International 2019](/source/The_International_(esports)) with [OG](/source/OG_(esports)).[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](/source/Evil_Geniuses). He then joined [Team Liquid](/source/Team_Liquid) as a coach in mid-2022.

## Career

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](/source/Team_Liquid) and [OG](/source/OG_(esports)).[2][4][5][6] His achievements include being the first player to participate in four consecutive [Dota 2 Major](/source/Dota_Pro_Circuit) finals—[Shanghai](/source/Shanghai_Major) and [Manila](/source/Manila_Major) with Team Liquid, and [Boston](/source/Boston_Major) and [Kiev](/source/Kiev_Major) with OG.[7]

Jesse's career took off in 2015 when he joined [5jungz](/source/5jungz), a roster that later became Team Liquid.[8] In 2016, he joined *OG*, where he won two Valve Majors and two [The International](/source/The_International_(esports)) 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](/source/Save_the_Children).[14][15][16] The auction, conducted in collaboration with the Finnish talk show Valavuori Live, resulted in a sum of €, surpassing the auction prices of signed jerseys from renowned football players [Lionel Messi](/source/Lionel_Messi) and [Wayne Rooney](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/The_International_2022) (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

1. ["JerAx"](https://escharts.com/players/jerax). *Esports Charts*. Retrieved 2024-09-12.

1. ["JerAx to help pros & semi-pros out of game in a special way | ONE Esports"](https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/jerax-wants-to-help-pros-semi-pros/). *www.oneesports.gg*. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. 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"](https://dotesports.com/dota-2/news/must-have-been-while-i-was-asleep-jerax-finds-himself-back-ogs-dota-2-roster-though-it-was-all-an-illusion). *Dot Esports*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. INQUIRER.net. ["Kuroky Leads a New European Team"](https://esports.inquirer.net/10363/kuroky-leads-a-new-european-team). Retrieved 2024-10-13.

1. ["On a path to The International 5 with mousesports"](https://www.redbull.com/in-en/road-to-the-international-5-with-mousesports) (in en-in). *Red Bull*. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2024-10-13.

1. ["Dota 2 -maailmanmestarin yllätysratkaisu: Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka päättää peliuransa"](https://yle.fi/a/3-11176411) (in Finnish). *Yle Urheilu*. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2024-10-13.

1. ["Five Of The Highest Earners In Esports"](https://estnn.com/five-of-the-highest-earners-in-esports/). *estnn.com*. 2020-09-18. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240816074945/https://estnn.com/five-of-the-highest-earners-in-esports/) 2024-08-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-08-16.

1. ["Dota 2 esports in 2024: What really needs to change? | ONE Esports"](https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/dota-2-esports-scene-2024/). *www.oneesports.gg*. 2024-07-15. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240917054806/https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/dota-2-esports-scene-2024/) 2024-09-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-08-15.

1. ["JerAx says Manila Major 2016 was the peak of his career | ONE Esports"](https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/jerax-says-manila-major-2016-career-peak/). *www.oneesports.gg*. 2022-06-01. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231207014354/https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/jerax-says-manila-major-2016-career-peak/) 2023-12-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. Kinnear, Cheree (2019-07-29). ["Not all fun and games: The not-so-glamorous world of Esports"](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/esports-not-all-fun-and-games-the-not-so-glamorous-world-of-esports/HW3IC2I2ZPXUQNXFIWU23UO7I4/) (in en-NZ). *NZ Herald*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240823050916/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/esports-not-all-fun-and-games-the-not-so-glamorous-world-of-esports/HW3IC2I2ZPXUQNXFIWU23UO7I4/) 2024-08-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-09-02.

1. Thooorin (2024-04-23). [*Don’t Think I Was a Stable Person \[In TL\]; I Lacked Self-Worth - Reflections with JerAx 1/3 - Dota2*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Gf_WS6Fac). pp. 52:34. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240814101451/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Gf_WS6Fac&feature=youtu.be) 2024-08-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-09-17. – via YouTube.

1. Radovanovic, Bozidar (2024-04-24). ["Dvostruki TI šampion JerAx otkrio zašto je napustio Liquid - RUR Esports"](https://rur.rs/2024/04/24/jerax-otkrio-zasto-je-napustio-liquid/). *rur.rs*. Retrieved 2024-09-25.

1. ["JerAx revela la verdadera razón por la que dejó Team Liquid en 2016"](https://www.bitelgaming.pe/noticia/4680/JerAx-revela-la-verdadera-raz%C3%B3n-por-la-que-dej%C3%B3-Team-Liquid-en-2016) (in Spanish). *bitelgaming.pe*. Retrieved 2024-09-25.

1. Team, Scoop (2020-07-05). ["A Pro Gamers Chair Was Sold in Auction for More Than Football Jerseys Worn by Messi and Ronaldo!"](https://scoopempire.com/a-pro-gamers-chair-was-sold-in-auction-for-more-than-football-jerseys-worn-by-messi-and-ronaldo/). *Scoop Empire*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. ["Židle profesionálního hráče se prodala za víc, než podepsaný dres Lionela Messiho | PLAYzone.cz"](https://www.playzone.cz/clanky/182724-zidle-profesionalniho-hrace-se-prodala-za-vic-nez-podepsany-dres-lionela-messiho) (in Czech). *www.playzone.cz*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. Rezafrds. ["Kursi Gaming JerAx Lampaui Harga Jersey Messi dan Rooney"](https://ggwp.id/media/esports/esports-lain/kursi-gaming-jerax-lampau-harga-jersey-messi-dan-rooney) (in id-ID). *GGWP.ID*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. Banerjee, Sonu (2020-05-04). ["Esports Athlete's chair auctioned at $5.9K for charity: Messi, Rooney's merch together raises $7K"](https://www.talkesport.com/news/esports-athletes-chair-auctioned-at-5-9k-for-charity-messi-rooneys-merch-together-raises-7k/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFV7fVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYjrmh8b8IIyEPxpPeSK72Ncoj4DjY0EZnhbnC1pE8wuO1lUq9l0YiqjqA_aem_iwt7sKCFfc104Zm2AXlV4w). *TalkEsport*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240917054801/https://www.talkesport.com/news/esports-athletes-chair-auctioned-at-5-9k-for-charity-messi-rooneys-merch-together-raises-7k/) 2024-09-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. ["JerAx explains his return to Dota 2 and why he joined Evil Geniuses | ONE Esports"](https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/jerax-explains-return-evil-geniuses/). *www.oneesports.gg*. 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. OG_admin (2020-01-26). ["Thank you, Jesse"](https://ogs.gg/thank-you-jesse/). *OG Esports*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. Hao, Dexter Tan Guan (2020-01-26). ["OG's JerAx retires: "I have no willingness nor passion to play Dota 2 anymore""](https://dotesports.com/dota-2/news/ogs-jerax-retires-i-have-no-willingness-nor-passion-to-play-dota-2-anymore). *Dot Esports*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. Çakır, Gökhan (2022-07-14). ["JerAx confirms he's coaching Team Liquid's Dota 2 team, has been for some time"](https://dotesports.com/dota-2/news/jerax-confirms-hes-coaching-team-liquids-dota-2-team-has-been-for-some-time). *Dot Esports*. Retrieved 2024-09-17.

1. ["JerAx joining Evil Geniuses is the 2022 DPC season's biggest surprise | ONE Esports"](https://www.oneesports.gg/dota2/jerax-joining-evil-geniuses-for-dpc-2022/). *www.oneesports.gg*. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2024-08-15.

1. Çakır, Gökhan (2023-09-04). ["Dota 2 legend Jerax claims Ludwig's Greatest Gamer event was harder than Dota 2 tournaments"](https://dotesports.com/dota-2/news/dota-2-legend-jerax-claims-ludwigs-greatest-gamer-event-was-harder-than-dota-2-tournaments). *Dot Esports*. Retrieved 2024-08-15.

1. ["JerAx stops coaching for Liquid – "It didn't feel right … because I don't enjoy the game the same way as I used to.""](https://esports.gg/news/dota-2/jerax-stops-coaching-team-liquid-talks-about-future-plans/). *esports.gg*. 2024-07-23. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240815080727/https://esports.gg/news/dota-2/jerax-stops-coaching-team-liquid-talks-about-future-plans/) 2024-08-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-08-15.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [JerAx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JerAx) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JerAx?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.