Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Image via Neon Esports

Neon Esports replace Rappy with Deth following COVID-19 concerns

Another roster swap in the middle of the second round.

Just an hour before Neon Esports was set to continue its group stage run at the ONE Esports Singapore Major, the team announced it would need to replace its original stand-in with another substitute player. 

Recommended Videos

Before its day two matches, Neon confirmed Rafael “Rappy” Palo had been in “close contact” with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and would need to be removed from the team’s roster for the remainder of the Major. 

Neon’s statement said Rappy tested negative each of the four times he was tested in conjunction with the Major, but sources close to the tournament organizers have said the contact tracing was conducted because of someone on his flight to Singapore. Due to that and government protocol, he must be separated from the rest of the team. 

Rappy was playing as a substitute for John “Natsumi-” Vargas, who was unable to travel to the Major because he was “unfit,” and had his flights booked separately from the rest of the team.

He played on and off for Neon from 2018 until last July when the team released him. Yang “Deth” Wu Heng will stand-in for Neon for the remainder of the team’s matches, and because Rappy tested negative four separate times, there is a chance that no further COVID-19 protocols will need to be enacted.

Neon started day two of the group stage in a tie for last place at 1-7, with only three matches to try and get out of that spot and qualify for the playoffs.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Cale Michael
Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.