For one team it’s understandable, for the other one it’s…unfortunate?
Some drama is currently developing during the ESL One Birmingham NA Closed Qualifiers. According to ESL's statement, the team named Yangzhiganlu will not be able to participate in the one million dollar tournament's closed qualifiers. The reason mentioned was that the team didn't manage to field a full roster.
This information was provided just three hours before their first game. Team Yangzhiganlu was one of the four teams directly invited to the ESL One NA Closed Qualifiers alongside renowned names like Nouns, Shopify Rebellion, and BammySoy.
Ranked third on their Regional EPT Ranking, they had even more points than Artour "Arteezy" Babaev's team. Before failing to show for their first game, this was Yangzhiganlu's roster:
- Luke "Yamsun" Wang
- Francis "RCY" Fundemera
- Paul "Speeed" Bocchicchio
- Arif "MSS" Anwar
- Kim "DuBu" Doo-young
According to Liquipedia, it was MSS and DuBu who opted out of the team. Let's not forget this is not an official source.
There's no statement from the team yet, but the EPT Ranking punishes roster changes. If there's confirmation on the players leaving the team, they'll lose around 30% of their current points.
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A second team forfeited ESL One Birmingham NA Closed Qualifiers first series.
NA is always the gift that keeps on giving. Just minutes after the stream started, the casters in charge were surprised with another unexpected piece of news.
Not only was GRIN Esports vs. Yangzhiganlu canceled, but they were also not going to cover Nouns vs. NextNext. We would explain it, but this clip is a poem; it's better heard by yourself.
Yes, "one of their players is definitely asleep," and nobody knew how to wake him up. With this result, Nouns advanced in the Upper Brackets to face GRIN Esports, while NextNext would have to face Yangzhiganlu in the Lower Bracket, meaning they are safe for the day.
ESL One Birmingham NA Closed Qualifiers are currently being streamed on two channels, as games will be played simultaneously.
If you want to know how this story will end, we will keep you updated on the qualified teams for the seven-figure tournament in Birmingham. Be sure to come back and check for more news!
