SumaiL will stand-in for Team Falcons at ESL One Birmingham 2024

ESL One Birmingham 2024 will begin in a few hours, but visa problems have caused some drama. As a result, one team got replaced. The issues don't end there, however. While Team Falcons may be a formidable opponent, they won't be fielding their full roster. Team Falcons recruited  Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, as a stand-in for them at ESL Birmingham 2024.

Team Falcons are looking to turn their setback to their advantage. Credits: Twitter.@TeamFalconsGG

Visa issues are a significant challenge for players, which can negatively impact the team's performance. It can cause a waste of countless hours of training in an instant. However, sometimes, teams find a way to turn such a setback into an advantage.

Malr1ne warns fans he might not attend Birmingham

Malr1ne at his first grand finals.
Image Source: Twitter.@FalconsEsport

After their defeat at the Elite League grand finals, Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak, the midlaner for Team Falcons, posted a message on Telegram, informing his fans that he may not be able to attend the upcoming LAN. Malr1ne revealed that he still hasn't received any updates on his VISA status from the officials. Therefore, it's uncertain whether he'll be able to fly to Birmingham.

SumaiL to the rescue 

Sumail at The International 2021 with OG. Credits: Valve

With a possibility of their midlaner missing out on the first ESL One LAN of the year, Team Falcons started looking for other options. Eventually, they enlisted the help of Nigma Galaxy's midlaner, SumaiL, for the task. NGX also attempted a slot for ESL Birmingham 2024 through the qualifiers, but they got eliminated by PSG Quest.

Sumail at Team Secret. Image Source: Twitter.@teamsecret

ESL One Birmingham 2024 is not the first time SumaiL has played as a stand-in for a team. In 2023, the player joined Team Secret at BetBoom Dacha 2023, where the team placed third. The player also has played as a stand-in for other regions. At ESL One Berlin 2023, the player helped Team Aster, where they secured a 7th-8th place in the tournament. After the tournament, SumaiL even signed a contract with Team Aster, where he stayed for the 2023 Dota 2 professional season.

Team Falcons chances

Sumail with OG at The International 2021.
Credits: Valve

Team Falcons are one of the favorites for the tournament. SumaiL has already proven his ability to adapt to the playstyle, which increases their chances of winning. However, this is the first time that Team Falcons will be playing with SumaiL as their stand-in.

The player will be playing with his former teammates, Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen and Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf at Team Falcons. The team's coach is Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling, who lifted the Aegis Of Champions together with Sumail back at The International 2015. Thus, it will be quite a reunion for the NGX midlaner, and it will intriguing to see how the team will perform.

Xtreme Gaming defeated Team Falcons at the Elite League grand finals. Image Source: Twitter.@fissure_eng

The Importance of ESL One Birmingham

The official artwork for ESL One Birmingham looks mesmerizing featuring multiple fan favourite heroes.
Credits: Twitter.@ESLDota2

Team Falcons currently has 6410 EPT Points and is in third place in EPT Leaderboards. ESL One Birmingham offers 6400 points to the champions of the tournament. If Team Falcons found a way to work with their stand-in, they could secure enough points to get an invite for the upcoming Riyadh Masters 2024, which is part of The Esports World Cup.

There's a reason Sumail is called the king of mid.
Credits: Valve

It is also important to note that Malr1ne could make it to the tournament in time. SumaiL is just a stand-in for Team Falcons, Malr1ne is their midlaner. If the player can find a way to resolve his visa issues in time, he could still help his team secure the invite for Riyadh Masters 2024. Team Falcons will be going up against BetBoom Team later today for the opening series for ESL One Birmingham 2024.

Featured Image Source: Valve

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