Natus Vincere and beastcoast withdraw from Singapore Major

Steven Rondina Published 25/03/2021

The buildup to the ONE Esports Singapore Major was already rocky, and it continues to get worse as teams and players are forced to drop out.

beastcoast announced that its Dota 2 team will not be attending the Singapore Major. This comes after Steven “StingeR” Vargas was exposed to someone with COVID-19 and proceeded to make contact with the rest of the team. beastcoast broke the situation down in a statement on Twitter:

“Unfortunately, StingeR was exposed to COVID-19 this past week and our other four players may have also been exposed as a result…All players have tested negative and we are monitoring them closely. However, because of the incubation period, we cannot be certain if our players are positive or not before flying to Singapore,” beastcoast said.

Just an hour later, it was reported that Natus Vincere was also forced out of the event after coach Andrey “Mag” Chipenko tested positive. Mag was set to stand in for Andrii “ALWAYSWANNAFLY” Bondarenko, who also tested positive for the virus. The news was revealed by Ukrainian caster Vitalii Nikolaevich “v1lat” Volochai on Twitter:

beastcoast qualified directly to the Singapore Major playoffs as a result of a first-place finish in the OGA Dota PIT South American DPC League, while Natus Vincere was qualified for the group stage. It’s unclear what will happen as a result of the teams’ withdrawals from the event. The most likely outcome is that three teams will advance out of the wildcard stage and three group stage teams will get a spot in the upper bracket.

This is a devastating blow for both Natus Vincere and beastcoast’s chances of making it to The International 10. The Dota Pro Circuit will feature just two majors this season, with only eight teams from each actually earning qualifying points towards The International 10. 

Though beastcoast is still positioned reasonably well as a team that took first-place in a DPC league, it no longer has the chance to build an advantage over other teams in the region. The squad will need to take first again in order to have any serious hope of earning a direct invitation to TI10. Natus Vincere will likely need a strong finish in the second major in order to earn an invite.

Catch up on Singapore Major news:

• MinD_ContRoL out of Singapore Major
• RAMZES666 was set to stand in for Na`Vi

beastcoast is sixth Singapore Major team impacted by COVID-19

PGL took a more lax approach to COVID-19 protocols with the Singapore Major than other notable pandemic-era esports events, and that has made for a painful two weeks for Dota 2.  

While events like the 2020 League of Legends World Championship opted to bring competitors in weeks in advance to have an extended quarantine period, PGL is instead testing players in the days before they are set to travel and isn’t having any sort of quarantine period on-site. It’s unclear why the tournament organizer took this approach, but it has made for an awkward buildup that has seen multiple teams forced to make substitutions on short notice.

Though beastcoast and Natus Vincere are now withdrawing from the event, they’re far from the only teams to be impacted. Neon Esports, Team Nigma, and Quincy Crew have all been forced to make substitutions. There’s a strong chance that this isn’t the end of it either, as playoff-qualified teams are yet to make the trek to the Singapore Major.

Given how important the event is, it’s hard to justify this approach. This is one of the biggest Dota 2 events of the year and plays an integral role deciding the competitors for The International, which will make up approximately 70% of the prize pool money paid out in Dota 2 in 2021.

Why the Singapore Major is attempting a new approach when events like Worlds 2020 went out without a hitch is unclear, but this is shaping up to have been a clear mistake.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...