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Dota 2: Talon, Entity to play in Arlington with stand-ins after Q, Pure visa issues

Talon Esports and Entity will be competing in the upcoming PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major with stand-ins after Q and Pure encountered apparent visa issues. (Photos: Talon Esports, Entity)
Talon Esports and Entity will be competing in the upcoming PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major with stand-ins after Q and Pure encountered apparent visa issues. (Photos: Talon Esports, Entity)

Two more Dota 2 teams have announced that they will be competing in the upcoming PGL Arlington Major with stand-ins due to visa issues.

Southeast Asia's Talon Esports and Western Europe's Entity will be without the services of Thai position 4 support Worawit "Q" Mekchai and Russian carry player Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko respectively, in the Major due to visa issues.

Talon to play with Xepher to stand-in

Talon Esports revealed their roster for the Arlington Major on Thursday (28 July), with T1's Kenny "Xepher" Deo listed in place of Q, who the team revealed could not play in the tournament "due to visa restrictions".

This is a big blow for Talon, who have quickly risen to become one of the best teams in Southeast Asia despite starting in Division II for the Spring Tour of the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season.

Talon needed to place in the Top 3 at the Arlington Major to have a chance of receiving a direct invite to The International 11 (TI11). With the team unable to compete with their full roster, the chances of reaching that goal have significantly diminished.

However, Talon aren't the only Southeast Asian team suffering from visa issues in the Arlington Major.

Among the three Southeast Asian teams competing in the Arlington Major, only BOOM Esports will be able to field their full roster while the rest will have stand-ins for the tournament.

Aside from Talon, Fnatic will compete in the Arlington Major with three stand-ins as only offlaner Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong and position 4 support Djardel "DJ" Mampusti will be attending the tournament. Fnatic have yet to announce their lineup for the Major.

Entity to play without controversial carry Pure, SabeRLight- to stand-in

Rising Western European team Entity also announced that they will be fielding a stand-in for the Arlington Major, with TSM offlaner Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek stepping in for Pure.

Pure was notably the subject of controversy earlier in April when he was caught drawing a 'Z' on the minimap in the Eastern European qualifier for the ESL One Stockholm Major. The letter 'Z' has become a symbol seen as support for the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Pure, who at the time was playing with the team 'Outsiders' under Russian organisation Virtus.pro, caused his team to be disqualified from the qualifier. His contract was also terminated shortly after the incident.

Entity would later sign Pure in May, with the player issuing a public apology saying "I will start by saying I am going to be a better person. Peace to everyone."

Entity have not explicitly stated the reason why Pure will be unable to play in the Arlington Major.

Visa issues continue to plague teams competing in the Arlington Major, with more expected to announce they will be forced to compete with stand-ins in the days leading up to the tournament's start date.

China has had perhaps the most devastating blow when it comes to attending the Major.

Xtreme Gaming couldn't acquire a visa for their carry Lou "lou" Zhen and decided to opt out entirely from the Major. This puts Xtreme out of the running for a direct invite to TI11 and they will have to make it there through the qualifiers.

Arlington Major organisers PGL announced that no team will replace Xtreme Gaming in group B. This means only two teams will be eliminated from Group B by the end of the group stage.

With four teams playing with incomplete rosters so far and only a week left until Arlington, the upcoming Major is setting up to be a must-watch event for Dota 2 fans everywhere.

The Arlington Major will be hosted in the Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, the United States from 4 to 14 August.

The tournament will feature 17 of the best teams from all across the DPC competing for their cut of a US$500,000 prize pool and, most importantly, the 4,570 DPC point pool to go towards securing an all-important direct invite to TI11.

Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.

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