beastcoast Dota 2 player hospitalized during MDL Chengdu Major

beastcoast dropped its first match of the MDL Chengdu Major but their loss may have had less to do with their skills and teamwork, and more to do with the squad feeling under the weather. 

The organization’s president, Brian Anderson, posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a black surgical mask in a Chinese hospital lobby. 

“Work in esports, they said. It will be fun, they said. Now I’m in a Chinese hospital and our players have H1N1,” he joked. 

A few hours before their match against Invictus Gaming, beastcoast’s Jean “Chris Luck” Gonzalez had stated that he felt “under the weather.” Apparently, it may have been thanks to contracting the H1N1 virus while visiting China. The team then gave a bit more detail on the matter on Twitter.

“Unfortunately, Chris Luck is sick at the major. We are at the hospital waiting on updates but thanks to Mars Media and the MDL Chengdu team for the quick response navigating a bad situation,” beastcoast said.

It’s unclear what the team’s status is for its match with Gambit Esports, which is coming up later today. 

Swine flu hurting beastcoast’s chances at MDL Chengdu Major

H1N1, also known as swine flu, is a subtype of the influenza A virus. This disease causes lower respitory tract infections, which can lead to chills and a fever. It’s often seen as more serious than the common flu, which has caused many people on Reddit to panic on the team’s behalf. 

Many fans feel the team shouldn’t play, since they could possibly spread the virus to other players on stage. Others confirmed that when H1N1 was detected in their community, schools closed. 

Regardless of what happens with Chris Luck, this only hurts beastcoast’s chances of making a splash at the event. The South American squad was one of the favorites to win its group and have a great opportunity to start the season strong.

Even if he plays against Gambit, Chris Luck’s performance will undoubtedly suffer to some degree. Given how long it can take to shake the swine flu, this is likely to mire the team’s entire run at the MDL Chengdu Major.