Team Spirit are heading into the Fissure Universe: Episode 6 Dota 2 tournament without their mid lane star, Denis ‘Larl’ Sigitov.
The organisation released a statement revealing that the Russian pro underwent surgery at the Esports World Cup.
This surgery has resulted in further complications, but Team Spirit claim: “At the moment everything is fine.”
Because of these health reasons, Larl will miss the $250k (£185k) tournament to concentrate on recovering.
It’s a major blow for Team Spirit, who would’ve wanted to maintain their momentum as one of the The International 2025 Dota 2 qualified teams.
Spirit went through the entire Esports World Cup, Dota 2 Playoffs without dropping a single game.
They defeated Gaimin Gladiators, Parivision, and Team Falcons to claim the $1m (740k) grand prize.
With TI 2025 set to start in early September, it’s possible that Larl could miss the most prestigious Dota 2 esports event of the year.
However, Team Spirit are hopeful that won’t be the case, saying:
“We hope that Larl will manage to recover in time for The International, and the team will enter the tournament in full force.
“We wish Denis a speedy and full recovery and are looking forward to his return.”
Fissure Universe is due to start tomorrow (August 19th), but Team Spirit already have their stand-in player for the tournament.
Team Spirit confirmed that Marat ‘Mirele’ Gazetdinov from Yellow Submarine will be subbing in for Larl throughout the event.
Who is Team Spirit Dota 2 substitute Mirele?
Mirele is a talented but inexperienced mid lane player who mostly competes in Tier-3 competitions with Yellow Submarine (YeS).
Untested at this level, Team Spirit will be dropping down the Fissure favourites list on Dota 2 betting sites.
Mirele impressed at the recent CIS Battle as YeS topped the Group Stages with an impressive 6-1 record.
However, YeS must’ve been found out as they then failed to win a series in the Playoffs and finished sixth.
Team Spirit will know all about Mirele’s ability as YeS are their long-term scrim partners.
Spirit’s team manager, Dmitry ‘Korb3n’ Belov, helped rebuild YeS and is their current CEO.
He wanted Team Spirit to sponsor them, but ESL doesn’t allow for multiple teams to be under the same ownership.
Mirele could have a breakout tournament at Fissure Universe, but it will be difficult given the circumstances.
Team Spirit will instead be focused on helping Larl recover and keeping the remaining squad sharp for TI 2025.
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