Arlington Major 2022: Xepher Stands In For Talon eSports, Replacing Q

(Photo : STR / Contributor via Getty Images)

Arlington Major teams continue to be plagued by Visa issues.

As Talon Esports' support player Q faces Visa issues entering the US, the pro team is forced to make sudden changes as the PGL Arlington Major nears. 

Xepher to replace Q on Talon Esports at the PGL Arlington Major

Unlike Xtreme Gaming forfeiting their chance to grab a win in the coming Arlington Major, Talon Esports enters the competition even with an incomplete line-up, fielding T1 position 4 player Kenny "Xepher" Deo as an immediate replacement.

According to reports, Q might still attempt to get his Visa, but the latest reports share that the player might have been turned down again. With these developments, the support player spoils his first attempt at playing on the mentioned big stage. 

Also Read: Why Did Xtreme Gaming Back Out From the PGL Arlington Major?

As AFK Gaming reports, the coming PGL Arlington Major is supposed to be Q's first trip to a Dota 2 major. However, he encountered problems with securing his Visa to the US. 

Read Talon Esports' announcement on Twitter here:

These unusual events are unfortunate for 21-year-old Q and Talon Esports. In his past outings at SEA tournaments, Q showed promising performance, bagging high placements in his professional games from 2018 to 2022. The Talon Esports player is key to his team winning S2 - Southeast Asia Upper Division and ESL One Summer 2021.

Visa Problems Haunt Teams as Arlington Major Nears

Visa issues continue to be a problem for a bunch of pro teams coming in to play at the PGL Arlington Major. In a recent report here at Gamenguide, Xtreme Gaming withdrew from the same Dota major due to Visa issues faced by their carry player, along with some other logistics issues that the team faced. With this, the said team proceeded to refuse to play in the competition and now focusing on coming regional qualifiers and other TI windows.

eGamersworld also reports that Entity faced the same Visa issue, as their position 1 player was denied a Visa in his interview. Fnatic, on the other hand, is forced to play with three stand-ins coming into the competition. Team Royal Never Give Up opens the possibility of playing with a replacement, as discussions about inviting 'ana' still make rounds in the Dota community.

The continuing issue surrounding players and their Visas sparks a lot of disappointment from the Dota community. It is really disappointing to see your favorite team and players get barred from the biggest competitions because of such external issues. Should organizers rethink hosting the most awaited competitions in Dota in North America soon?

The PGL Arlington Major 2022 will take place at Esports Stadium Arlington from August 4-14. As the competition nears, fans are getting a clearer view of which participants will be heading their way to take their chance to win the major.

The competition will have a total prize pool of $500,000. 17 competitors from the most recent Major competition will square off for the PGL Arlington Major title and also lock in to get the 820 DPC 2021-2022-season rating points that will advance them to The International in 2022, the pinnacle of pro-Dota 2.

Stay tuned for the latest updates as developments come by the minute.

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