Ahead of the upcoming Dota 2 Singapore Major, some of the teams will be sending stand-ins to the event after COVID-19 issues.
Multiple Dota 2 teams took to Twitter earlier this weekend and came out saying they had cases of COVID-19 within their team. The manager of Quincy Crew, Jack “KBBQ” Chen, also said that Arif “MSS” Anwar had tested positive for COVID-19. We regretfully announce that MSS has tested positive for covid and will be unable to make it to Singapore. His symptoms have been mild so far and he is doing well.“
We regretfully announce that @MSSDota has tested positive for covid and will be unable to make it to Singapore. His symptoms have been mild so far and he is doing well. We’re trying to secure a sub who can get processed in time to travel to the major.
— Jack Chen (@KBBQDotA) March 21, 2021
Later on both Neon Esports and Natus Vincere also confirmed they’ll be using substitutes and stand-ins, the former for John “Natsumi-” Vargas and the latter for Bogdan “Iceberg” Vasilenko and Andrii “ALWAYSWANNAFLY” Bondarenko. A huge hit for both teams who see some of their best players stuck at home. Other teams, such as Virtus.Pro, have also released statements earlier already that they are closely monitoring their players.
Update #SingaporeMajor pic.twitter.com/qPnLzSTojW
— Neon Esports 🇵🇭 (@NeonEsportsDota) March 21, 2021
Teams have spoken out in support of the Major earlier this month after criticism surfaced of having an offline event during a global pandemic. With so many players being forced to use substitutes and stand-ins, the power dynamic within the top teams might change, as multiple teams won’t be able to field their strongest roster. The Dota 2 Singapore Major is set to start on March 27 with a Wild Car stage, followed by the Group Stage on March 29.
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Image credit: ONE Esports