Hell Raisers follow Cloud9, out of I-League

Another team has decided to bow out of the upcoming I-League final. Qualifiers for the Dota 2 event run by ImbaTV have been ongoing since November. But not every qualified team has been interested in attending. Cloud9 withdrew from the competition after defeating Sneaky Nyx Assassins to qualify from the North American region. Now, the European region’s qualifier has followed suit. Hell Raisers defeated such teams as 4 Anchors + Sea Captain in the semifinal and Lajons in the final to earn their spot. Yet they’ve chosen to give it up. Cloud9’s withdrawal was responded to a with a ban from the next I-League season. In their statement announcing the move, Hell Raisers seem to be making it clear that they should be similarly punished. The esports organization noted that they had been in constant contact with tournament officials regarding the team’s availability for the event, as well as the European qualifier runners-up, Lajons. While Cloud9’s qualification spot was handed to a local Chinese team, ImbaTV has decided to extend the European invitation to Lajons. But while Hell Raisers say they’ve been keeping the Swedish team posted, it appears that Lajons are having to scramble to arrange their attendance. The squad took to social media to inform fans that they had received an official invitation to attend the I-League tournament, but that they were still waiting on the results of their late visa applications. The team will likely need to step up their game should they prove able to attend. The former Heroes of Newerth squad would likely be meeting its toughest competition yet at the final in China, with Vici Gaming and Virtus Pro among the confirmed attendees. Assuming, of course, that neither team pulls out.