- Several Russian players might miss the Stockholm Major due to Visa issues
- OG will call on Ceb to substitute for Misha
- Mind Games will have to play without two of its core players, instead of relying on substitutes
Several teams’ players are having Visa issues and will most likely not be able to attend the DPC’s Spring Tour Major in Stockholm, Sweden.
Players Are Having Visa Issues
This week will see the start of the Dota Pro Circuit’s Spring Tour Major, which will pit teams like T1, Evil Geniuses, OG, and many others against each other. A lot of other teams come from now war-thorn Ukraine and Russia. Many of the teams from Ukraine are not able to leave the country due to the Ukrainian government ordering general mobilization for all men aged 18 to 60. Meanwhile, teams from Russia are often banned from participating in competitions.
Despite that, Valve confirmed that teams from Eastern Europe will be allowed to attend the DPC’s Spring Tour Major. However, it seems many of them will be playing with substitute players, as many members are having visa issues.
Right now, two teams are having these issues, one of which is Western Europe’s top team OG. It seems it will be going to the event without its in-game leader Misha, who is from Russia. This is why OG is bringing in two-time International Champion Ceb as a substitute for the event, according to Maincast Dota 2 analyst and commentator Alexey “Storm” Tumanov.
Although OG has not commented on why Misha cannot get a visa to attend the Stockholm Major, it's likely due to his Russian citizenship. After Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, many EU countries imposed both economic and travel sanctions on Russia. This theory is supported by the fact that OG’s coach Evgenii “Chuvash” Makarov might also miss the competition, according to Storm.
Teams Are Bringing in Substitutes
The news that Misha will most likely miss the Stockholm Major comes at a very inconvenient time for OG. Now the organization will have to find a last-minute substitute, and it seems that will be the French-Lebanese pro-Sébastien “Ceb” Debs. The former TI-winner last played for OG at TI 10, where the team finished tied for seventh, before returning from competitive play and taking a new role within the organization.
Mind Games also has a similar problem to OG, maybe even a more serious one. The team will have to play without two of its core players – Danil “Bignum” Shekhovtsov and Semion “CemaTheSlayer” Krivulya, both with Russian citizenships. The team will now have to play with PuckChamp support players Genadiy “Astral” Motuz and Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin for the duration of the Major.
The teams are still making last-minute adjustments to their rosters before the start of the Major on May 12, so it’s likely we see more stand-in announcements.
