Skem Will Miss BOOM Esports' Series Against T1 Today

BOOM Esports has suffered a major setback ahead of today's important showdown versus T1, as captain/position five player Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong will be unable to compete due to medical reasons. As a result, coach Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung will step in for him in the series against T1, which begins at 6:00 PM SGT on 7th July. This is a crucial series for both teams in terms of qualification for the upcoming PGL Arlington Major. BOOM has four victories and one loss after five series, while T1 has two wins and two defeats after four series.

BOOM skem out of the series against T1 in SEA DPC; Mushi to fill in

“Due to medical reasons, Skem will not play today, instead coach Mushi will play as a standin for today's match against T1,” BOOM posted in an update on Facebook just hours before the series versus T1.

While BOOM did not provide specifics on skem's medical leave today, he did suffer from a medical problem last year while playing for OB.Neon and consequently had to be moved to the bench. During that time, he did, however, tweet the following.

With coach Mushi as a stand-in, BOOM will now face T1. During the BTS Pro Series S9 in November 2021, Mushi filled in for the team as a carry, helping the team to achieve a tournament victory. Nonetheless, Mushi also has experience playing support before starting as a coach for BOOM Esports, so it will be interesting to see if he can put that experience and skill into practice today.

In terms of recent practice, Mushi has played 17 games on his primary account in the last eight days, according to Dota 2 Pro Tracker. The player has played three Warlock games in the last 24 hours, thus this may be the hero he looks to pick for himself in the drafts.

BOOM is presently tied for second place with Fnatic in the SEA DPC 2021-22 Tour 3: Division 1 points table. A win against T1 ensures the organization at least a tiebreaker for one of the three Major spots. A defeat will reduce its prospects of receiving the Major invite, but it will still be in the running.

A defeat for T1 means that it will have to rely on the outcomes of others to qualify for the Major. Therefore, to determine its own fate, T1 must win all three of its remaining three series from here on out.

BOOM will almost certainly bring the aggressive playstyle that it has grown known for in recent months, to the series against T1, a team that likes to take it easy at first and then battles back with the necessary items and hero timings. If both teams do stick to their own playstyles, it will be a fascinating series to watch who comes out on top.