Fans of Gambit Esports, and Dota 2 fans in general, can breath a sigh of relief as Gambit Esports has been allowed entry to Kiev to take part in the StarLadder ImbaTV Minor.
This update comes courtesy of the official Twitter account of Gambit Esports, adding that the team was "going to rest and have a dinner at our hotel." Gambit Esports earlier revealed that three players of the team, along with the team's coach and manager, had been denied entry to Ukriane, forcing them to fly back to Minsk. With this, the ESL One Katowice 2019 runner-up can now prepare for their upcoming matches. Gambit Esports and OG are seen by many as possible contenders for the top spot of this minor tournament.
#SLMinor UPDATE
— Gambit Esports (@GambitEsports) March 5, 2019
We passed customs clearance. Going to rest and have a dinner at our hotel. Hooray!
Прошли паспортный контроль, едем заселяться в отель, отдыхать и ужинать. Ура!
Gambit Esports was not alone in facing entry issues. The entire team of Old But Gold was denied as well, along with OG stand-in Igor "iLTW" Filatov. A tweet from Dota 2 Maincast revealed that if Old But Gold is still not allowed entry, the organizers will give the team permission to play the games online. In the case of iLTW, the same condition applies. That said, OG has also been given the choice to play with their coach instead.
Игроки Old But Gold получили разрешение провести свои матчи в онлайне, если их не пропустят через границу.
— Dota 2 Maincast (@dota2mc) March 6, 2019
Это же касается и ILTW, но в его случае есть и второй вариант — @OGesports могут сыграть со своим тренером @FollowSockshka.#maincast #dota2 pic.twitter.com/BXCMUUIH3Q
Scheduled for March 7 to 10, the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor takes place at the Cybersport Arena in Kiev. Eight teams are battling it out for the chance to get $125,000 and 120 DPC Points. The champion also gets a slot at the DreamLeague Season 11, with its $1 million prize pool and 15,000 DPC points.
The eight teams confirmed for the ImbaTV Minor are Gambit Esports, OG, Old But Gold, Flying Penguins, Demolition Boys, Royal Never Give Up, Vici Gaming, and BOOM ID. Initially, the South America Qualifier went to Team Odd, but issues led to the players leaving the group. These players will now compete in the tournament under the name Demolition Boys.
The tournament begins with the Group Stage that follows the GSL format. The top two teams of each group proceed to the semi-finals, with the bottom two teams eliminated from the tournament. The Group Stage is a best-of three format. Semi-finals will also be best-of three. The Grand Finals play host to the final two teams, fighting for the championship in a best-of five match.
