SumaiL to play for Team Falcons in ESL One Birmingham as Malr1ne faces VISA issues

ESL One Birmingham is one highly anticipated Dota 2 tournament, not only because of its high stakes but also because of its LAN pedigree. But a recent roster adjustment right before the tournament starts makes it all the more spicy.

Team Falcons' midlaner, Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak, stumbled upon VISA issues, barring him from entering the tournament. To fill in his shoes, renowned prodigy, Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, has stepped up to stand in for Team Falcons. The midlaner for Nigma Galaxy will temporarily play for Team Falcons at the ESL One Birmingham.

Throughout the year so far, Team Falcons exuded a dominant performance with a mix of brilliant TI winning veterans and bloodthirsty youngsters. Malr1ne has been quite the character to follow, a bold 19-year-old player with insanely great mid mechanics. He has showcased a great chemistry with Falcons especially in the presence of his close friend, Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf.

However, Malr1ne will miss ESL One Birmingham and his replacement being SumaiL makes things so much more interesting. SumaiL has a prominent reputation in Dota 2 and it hasn't really died down despite his lackluster achievements in the past few years. Many still hail him as one of the greatest Dota 2 players in the world. And this ESL One Birmingham run with one of the most solid lineups in the tournament will serve as a litmus test for SumaiL's capabilities.

According to Liquipedia, SumaiL will be standing in for Malr1ne only at "the start of the tournament." This means that Malr1ne is likely waiting for his VISA approval and will be heading to Birmingham, United Kingdom as soon as the path is clear.

This was then confirmed in Team Falcons' official announcement regarding the team's lineup in ESL One Birmingham. According to the organization, Malr1ne's VISA is already approved and he would likely be available later during the Group Stage.

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