The Ninjas In Pyjamas will be using Mind_Control as a stand-in for the upcoming Dota 2 Major. Using a stand-in effectively means that the Swedish organisation will have to face a 40% penalty on DPC points from this tournament. There are 15000 DPC points up for grabs from the Kuala Lumpur Major. Considering how important these DPC points can be towards the end of the season, a 40% penalty is a huge deal.
The Dota Pro Circuit points are awarded to teams for placements in the Majors and Minors. The Majors are the tournaments which provide a lot of DPC points and can be the deal breaker between a team getting an invite to The International 2019.
Mind_Control stand-in for Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Team Liquid player Mind_Control will be the stand-in for the Ninjas in Pyjamas during the Kuala Lumpur Major. Mind_Control has not played a single LAN post TI8. Team Liquid was unable to secure a spot at the Major after losing to Lithium in the qualifiers. They opted out of the Dreamleague Season 10 minor mostly due to health issues.
Having a player like Mind_Control is always going to be an impressive addition. However, Dota 2 is a very team focused game. Having the best player in the world might not ensure a good performance. Team Coordination and synergy is often the difference between the top teams and the next few tiers.
For now, Mind_Control will be standing in for 33 at the Kuala Lumpur Major.
Peter Dager calls for Valve to repeal the Penalty
— Peterpandam ⌐◨-◨ (@Peterpandam) November 4, 2018
In a public statement, NIP captain, Peter ‘PPD’ Dager has called on Valve to not penalise their roster for using a stand-in. According to DPC rules, using a stand-in ensures a 40% DPC penalty on the team.
We formed our team with Neta (33) post-TI not knowing where Valve would be placing the Dota 2 Majors this year. Upon news of the first Major being in Malaysia, we were very concerned about Neta’s ability to obtain a visa. I don’t know all the details but from what I’ve been told Malaysia doesn’t think very highly of Israel. NIP emailed PGL and they put us in contact with the people who could possibly help Neta enter the country but to no avail. We are incredibly lucky to have MC as a stand-in, however, I feel it is unfair to incur a DPC point penalty [Valve stated 40% reduction for using a stand-in]. We emailed Valve weeks ago, but no one has responded to us. Hopefully, by stating something publicly someone might see it and give us an answer.
Peter ‘PPD’ Dager.
It is an attempt by the captain to hopefully elicit a response from Valve by using public forums. He wants Valve not to penalise NIP since this situation was out of their hands. The team was formed post TI8 without any knowledge of the location for the upcoming Majors. Even now, we only know of one more Dota 2 Major, the Dreamleague Season 11.
It will be interesting to see whether Valve allows this stand-in without penalising the Ninjas in Pyjamas. The Kuala Lumpur Major starts on the 9th of November 2018.
