Ninjas in Pyjamas have been officially invited to replace Aurora at the upcoming CS Asia Championships. Perfect World announced on their official website that the Turkish side was forced to withdraw from the Chinese event due to unforeseen visa issues.
While missing out on a $1 million tournament is a tough pill to swallow for Aurora, it might actually be exactly what the doctor ordered for their biggest star, İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş.
Time to recover
For Aurora, withdrawing from the $1 million tournament inadvertently provides a necessary rest period for İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş. The Turkish player has been dealing with a severe hand condition, which he previously confirmed to Pley.gg at BLAST Rotterdam by stating, “It’s terrible actually.”
During a recent livestream with Aurora content creator Erenay, XANTARES revealed he has cysts in his right hand that require regular injections. The pain peaked during the ESL Pro League Season 23 Grand Final, prompting his doctor to advise him to stop using a mouse for at least six days. Due to Aurora’s packed schedule, XANTARES had been playing through the pain while wearing a protective brace. He is currently working with a physical therapist to manage ongoing issues with his hand, back, and neck. However, given the recent visa circumstances and the fact that Aurora is only scheduled for PGL Astana before their IEM Cologne campaign starts on June 11, XANTARES is now actually able to take this recommended break to prioritize his recovery.
A chance for NIP
For Ninja in Pyjamas, the invitation for the CS Asia Championship comes at a perfect time. The team has not qualified for any big events in the coming months, so the tournament in China will be a huge opportunity for the roster to win some much-needed VRS points, and to get Martin “stavn” Lund integrated to the team in his new role as an AWP’er.
Updated Team List for CS Asia Championships:
- Falcons
- PARIVISION
- The MongolZ
- MOUZ
- 3DMAX
- B8
- Legacy
- TYLOO
- M80
- Liquid
- paiN
- MIBR
- NRG
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Lynn Vision
- BC.Game
