Cover-Credits:
- Na'Vi will miss the ONE Esports Singapore Major due to their players contracting COVID-19 and other travel related issues.
- Na'Vi's coach Mag, who was supposed to be the stand-in player for the team at the Major, has tested positive. Combining this with travel and quarantine regulations, the team might have been stranded in Singapore had they chosen to travel.
- RAMZES666, who was the second stand-in, is currently on a flight to Singapore and does not know about Na'Vi's withdrawal. He will now be available to any teams at the Major that are looking for a stand-in.
Na’Vi has opted to withdraw from the ONE Esports Singapore Major because of their players contracting COVID-19 and other travel-related issues. The Na’Vi organization explained the reasons behind its withdrawal through a blog post on its website. According to the CIS org, Coach Mag was supposed to be a stand-in alongside RAMZES666 after two of its players (Iceberg and ALWAYSWANNAFLY) tested positive for the virus. However, the coach has also contracted the virus. As a result, Na’Vi would have had to undergo quarantine and travel regulations that could potentially leave them stranded in Singapore.
Additionally, Level Up player, Nikola "LeBronDota" Popović, who was called to stand-in for Mag also faced travel issues that eventually forced Na’Vi to pull out of the Singapore Major. Na’Vi is the second team to withdraw from the Singapore Major. Before Na’Vi, beastcoast had announced that they would be opting out of the Singapore Major after one of their players got exposed to the virus.
RELATED: Beastcoast Pulls Out of Singapore Major After Player Tests Positive For COVID-19
Na’Vi explains their decision to skip the Singapore Major
The organization stated that Mag’s result came positive a few days before their flight to Singapore even though he was not in contact with Iceberg or ALWAYSWANNAFLY. Other team members have caught a fever but Na’Vi did not mention if they tested positive for the dreaded virus.
According to the rules of the Singapore pandemic policy, “if at least one player has the virus on arrival, everyone will have to self-quarantine.” So, this leads to the following consequences:
- Na’Vi can not participate in the Major even if they have their full roster in Singapore.
- They lack clarity on the duration of self-quarantine, so they are not clear on the possibility of the Na’Vi players being stranded for so long that they miss the start of the second season of the DPC (begins on April 13, 2021).
LeBronDota, who was invited to replace Mag, faced travel problems related to his flights. His flight to Singapore had to return midway due to technical issues. He, unfortunately, then missed a connecting flight as well.
Na’Vi mentioned that even though LeBronDota could get another flight, his PCR test result would expire by that time. This increases the risk of him getting stopped at the Singapore airport.
So, for all these reasons, Na’Vi decided to withdraw from the Championship.
Additionally, RAMZES666, who was also announced as one of the team’s stand-ins earlier, did not know that Na’Vi had opted out of the Major at the time that it was officially announced. The player was on a flight from Moscow to Singapore when Na’Vi went public with their statement.
Na’Vi has stated, “We are sure that his (RAMZES666) indispensable experience can still help one of the teams, given the rapid growth of disease among players,” which means that the CIS carry will be available to play for any other team that requires him as a stand-in.
Na’Vi had finished second in the CIS 2021 DPC Season 1 and hence, had secured a Major group stage spot. This may lead to three teams from the Wild Cards round progressing to the Group Stages of the tournament.
RELATED: T1 Will Play Without Kuku at the ONE Esports Singapore Major
Dota 2 fans have been dispirited by the news of teams and players missing the Major due to health issues. Besides beastcoast and Na’Vi, T1’s Kuku, Neon Esports’ Natsumi-, Quincy Crew’s MSS, and Nigma’s MinD_ContRoL have been confirmed to be missing the tournament. There has not been any communication by either the organizers or Valve regarding the changes in the format of the tournament after the two teams’ withdrawal.
