Winning the Minor does not guarantee your Major tickets: Team Aster face US visa issues

It’s supposedly a glorious day for the Chinese squad, Team Aster, after they defeat the favorites, Alliance, in a dominating 3-1 sweep at the grand finals of Kyiv minor yesterday. However, things turn sour and potentially devastating as Team Aster realize that winning the minor isn’t enough to guarantee them a spot in the Los Angeles major, at least for 3 of their players who currently do not have US visas.

Regardless, let’s dive deep into the grand finals between the two finalists before that. Team Aster remained at the top of their groups during the first 2 days of group stage games, taking every series without losing a single game. That alone shows what a threat can this Chinese squad put onto the table during the upcoming major. After all, Team Aster consisted several of the finest Chinese veterans available in the pro scene, such as Sccc (formerly from Newbee) and Fade (formerly from Vici Gaming), who are well-known for their skills. To top it off, the rest of the squad are just as seasoned too.

As Team Aster remains patient in their grand finals waiting room for the other finalist, Alliance stomped over the CIS squad, Gambit, securing their spot to face Aster. Unfortunately, Alliance just isn’t strong enough to deal with Team Aster’s performance. From the consistent core players of Aster, making sure they keep up in net worth for the late game, to the support duos making plays across the map, it seems like Team Aster had everything figured out. In terms of playstyle, Team Aster were always really aggressive as we witness countless of times when Sccc just dives into the enemy heroes, instantly bursting them down with just auto-attacks. And he was able to pull it off, thanks to the fact that he knows his supports are ready to back him up in case things turn south. In the end, Alliance was completely overwhelmed in the games and perhaps mentally too.

Team Aster’s winning moment here:

As Alliance calls GG, Team Aster players rush out of their booths to claim their first DPC tournament victory since they were founded 2 years ago and the fans couldn’t be more happy for them. Founded by a Chinese DOTA2 veteran, BurNing himself took it to his social media to share the glorious moment, watching his team’s effort paid off. However, it seems like these champs just couldn’t catch a breathe just yet as they will need to face another challenge, which is securing US visas. According to Team Aster’s captain, he, Sccc and Chyuan have not secured their visas and might not be able to attend the LA major.

Thanks to the worsening coronavirus outbreak around the world, the US visa application has never been more difficult to obtain due to concerns of potential spread. With just 5 days till the Los Angeles major, the hopes of Team Aster players, Sccc, Chyuan and Fade, securing their visas on time is just too dim. Regardless, we hope that Team Aster persevere through the matter somehow as they deserve to play in the LA major after their victory.