Story of JerAx (Jesse Vainikka), Evil Geniuses, OG

Full Name: Jesse Vainikka

Nick: JerAx

Also known as: jrx, jeraxai

Games: Dota 2

Current Team: Evil Geniuses

Ex Team: OG

Date of Birth: May 7th, 1992 (30 years old)

Place of Birth: Helsinki, Finland

Nationality: Finland

Relationship Status/Partners: N/A

Who is JerAx?

JerAx is one of the best Dota 2 support players that played the game. Throughout his long career, he managed to win some of the major tournaments and make a name for himself as a support player.

He is a Finnish player who first competed in Heroes of Newerth when he played in the famous “Dirty Minds” team alongside Era and SingSing.

He would’ve continued his HoN career, although he needed to serve in the Finnish Navy. When he was back, he hopped on the Dota 2 train, which proved to be some of the best decision he ever made.

His preferred in-game role was support, and some of his signature heroes were Earth Spirit, Tusk, and Rubick.

His Dota 2 career started in 2013 and briefly ended in 2020. However, after a year of hiatus, he briefly stepped into the Dota 2 spotlight once again.

Throughout his long and prosperous career, JerAx managed to win multiple Internationals and secure the status of one of the best Dota supports.

How Did Jesse Vainikka Become Famous?

You could say that the year 2015 is when JerAx entered his best period. After multiple good results at the beginning of the year with 5Jungz, he signed with the legendary Team Liquid.

Thanks to winning The Defense Season 5 and reaching the third place at WCA the same year, he closed up 2015 with a bang.

Thanks to his rising popularity, OG scouted him in August of 2016, and he stayed with them until his first retirement at the beginning of 2020.

His highest achievement that secured him a place in every Dota 2 fan’s hearth were the two consecutive first places in The International in 2018 and 2019.

In fact, JerAx was so popular, especially in Finland, that he had his own brand of gaming merchandise in 2018. 

JerAx Debut Teams

2013 was the year JerAx stepped onto the Dota 2 scene. His first stop was a fresh Finnish team called Rat in the Dark. That’s when he fell in love with the support role.

After playing for a month in the team, he was asked by SingSing to join his QPAD Red Pandas for a trial period. After numerous successful matches as a trialist, he was admitted as a full-time player.

Jesse didn’t stay too long on the team. He went on a brief hiatus, only to return in 2015. After being absent on the pro scene for more than a year, he joined a new Finnish team called 4 Anchors.

This time, his colleagues were Trixi, Vaalix, Buugi, and MATUMBAMAN. However, JerAx didn’t have the habit of staying on a team for a longer period. He left the group soon after to join the international Team Tinker in 2015.

In fact, from 2015 to 2016, JerAx swapped seats between 4 Dota 2 pro teams in just a year until finally settling with the OG squad.

JerAx Streaming

JerAx has a large Twitch channel with little over 150,000 subscribers. However, he hasn’t streamed since 2021.

His Twitch account is called JerAxai and still has highlight clips from older days when he played support competitively.

He had a 13,000 viewers peak in April last year and had averaged around 4,000 views per stream.

Given that JerAx seems to be retired once again as he still doesn’t have any contract, he might as well begin streaming his Dota 2 sessions on Twitch.

Jesse Vainikka Relationship

Although JerAx has an open Instagram and Twitch profile with over hundred of thousands of followers, it’s still unknown whether he has a girlfriend.

He does enjoy every moment of his life and has a strong relationship with his sister, who even dresses him in bling for special occasions.

JerAx Statistics

JerAx is one of the few elite players that can boast of having two consecutive TI titles, which is not an easy feat.

Most of his achievements came when he played for Team Liquid and OG. He managed to snatch more than a few first and second places in some of the biggest Dota 2 tournaments.

His golden years were from 2016 to 2019. Some of the significant achievements in tournaments from this period are The Shanghai Major, EPICENTER, The Manila Major, The Boston Major, The Kyiv Major, The MDL Macau, and of course, The International.

He decided to retire in 2020 on a high note after winning his second TI. However, he came back a year later as a support for Evil Geniuses, although, in May this year, he is considering coaching instead of playing competitively.

Jesse Vainikka Personal Info

Jesse is a player that likes to keep his personal information away from the public eye. You might find some glimpses into his everyday life on his Instagram and YouTube, however, he never overshares.

It’s no mystery that a large chunk of his life is Dota 2. That’s why he was so appreciative of Dota 2 community in his retirement speech in January 2020.

However, by the end of 2021, Jesse couldn’t live without the Dota 2 scene. He signed another contract with Evil Geniuses.

Although fans rejoiced to see him compete again, JerAx quickly changed his mind and decided that the best thing to do at this stage of his life was to perhaps concentrate on coaching, so his personal life wouldn’t suffer.

He thought that he’d done enough for Dota 2, at least as far as playing is concerned, and now wants to concentrate on spending more time with his closest friends.

As you could see from rare instances in his more intimate interviews, his timid and down-to-earth appearance clashes with his extremely responsive and fast-paced in-game decision-making.

Jesse likes to point out that he enjoys wandering off into nature and spending hours there enjoying it and meditating.

He has a small circle of his closest friends with whom he likes to spend time playing board games, eating out, and partying.

When he was younger, he went to the Finnish Navy, where he had a feeling of constantly being cornered and pressured by rules, and he didn’t like the idea of his life developing that way.

That’s why he chose to play Dota 2, as the endless possibilities that the game offers you to experiment with suited his mindset.

Jesse, like many other Finns, is a sauna fan. He likes to spend time in them to contemplate his future life choices.

JerAx Net Worth and Finances

Thanks to his long and prosperous career and many titles he managed to win, JerAx has earned approximately 6 million dollars.

That’s coming from tournament play only. The number is presumably way higher when you add tons of sponsorship and other Dota 2-related events.

Jesse Vainikka Age

Jesse Vainikka is 30 years old as of May 7th, 2022.

Where Does JerAx Live?

JerAx currently lives in his town of birth, Helsinki.

JerAx Weight and Height

Jesse Vainikki weighs around 75kg and has a height of 177cm.

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