LGD Gaming Pulls Out of MDL Macau 2019 Due to Player’s Medical Complications
LGD Gaming, the runner-ups of The International 2018, announced through their official Twitter and Weibo accounts yesterday that they will not be attending the upcoming MDL Macau 2019 due to the health issues of their player Yang “Chalice” Shenyi.
Player’s Health Issues Cause Unexpected Cancellation
Chalice underwent a minor surgery after the team’s successful qualification for the next Dota Pro Circuit Major, DreamLeague Season 11. However, post-operation complications led to an infection, forcing LGD Gaming to withdraw from the event.
This is not the first time LGD has withdrawn from an event due to health-related reasons, with Chalice being at the center of previous withdrawals. In December 2018, the team pulled out of DPL Season 6 for the same reason.
Stand-in Player Already in Place
LGD Gaming was already playing with a stand-in player, Guo “XM” Hongcheng, from their youth team CDEC. XM replaced Lu “Maybe” Yao who took an extended leave from the team for personal and physical reasons.
Rest and Roster Solutions Take Priority
Considering their strong position in the Dota Pro Circuit rankings, LGD Gaming likely decided that allowing their remaining players to rest and finding solutions for their roster issues before the DreamLeague Season 11 Stockholm Major was more important than participating in a non-DPC event.
Other organizations and fans in the Dota community have shown their support for Chalice and wished him a speedy recovery.
Newbee will replace LGD Gaming in MDL Macau after finishing fourth in the Chinese qualifiers.
The MDL Macau event will take place from February 20th to 24th, with eight teams competing for a prize pool of $300,000.
LGD Gaming, MDL Macau 2019, health issues, player withdrawal, Dota Pro Circuit Major, DreamLeague Season 11, stand-in player, roster issues, rest, support, Newbee, Chinese qualifiers, prize pool.