Cover-Credits:
- Neon Esports' carry player, Natsumi-, is unfit to travel with the team to Singapore and hence, will be missing the Singapore Major.
- Filipino player, Rappy, will stand-in for the team at the Singapore Major. As a result of this forced roster change, captain skem will be occupying the carry role.
- Neon Esports finished second in the first DPC season and had qualified for the Major group stage. They will be seen in action from March 29 when the group stage begins.
Neon Esports’ Singapore Major hopes have taken a drastic hit as they will be missing the services of their carry player, John Anthony "Natsumi-" Vargas. The organization announced this through their social media handles, stating that Natsumi- was “unfit to travel” with the team to the Singapore Major. As a result, Neon Esports has been forced to make a roster change for the tournament. Filipino player, Rafael "Rappy" Sicat Palo, who has previously played for Neon Esports, will be standing in for the team at the Singapore Major. The organization mentioned that they tried all possible options but chose a Filipino player “to keep the chemistry and communication at its best.”
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Neon Natsumi- unfit for Singapore Major; Replaced by Filipino player, Rappy
Though Natsumi- is, unfortunately, going to miss the tournament, the organization communicated that he continues to be a part of the team and hoped for his speedy recovery. Rappy, who had previously been a part of the team from 2018-2020, has played over 1000 games with the organization. The team feels “his experience and synergy makes him the best choice for us.”
As a result of this forced roster change, the Filipino team has decided to put captain Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong, in the carry role. While Rappy was a part of the the team's roster, he used to occupy the offlane role with PlayHard playing as the position four player. In an interview in the first season of the DPC as well, Natsumi- had communicated that PlayHard, who is currently the offlaner for the team, was not very confident in playing the role. PlayHard and skem had previously switched roles in the tiebreaker series against T1.
Image Via Neon FacebookSo, Neon Esports’ likely roster for the Singapore Major:
- Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong
- Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer
- Rafael "Rappy" Sicat Palo
- Prieme Ejay "PlayHard" Banquil
- Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla
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The organization is set to play in its first-ever DPC Major, the ONE Esports Singapore Major, that runs from March 27 - April 4, 2021. The team had a tremendous run in the SEA 2021 DPC Season 1: Upper Division as they finished second and secured a group stage slot. The all-Filipino team will be seen in action from March 29, when the group stage kickstarts.
