Professional Dota 2 players not only have to focus on the game but also fulfill other responsibilities, as 9Pandas recently discovered. The team was penalized for arriving late at media day, resulting in a drafting penalty that will affect their upcoming match against LGD.
Media day can be a mix of enjoyable and tedious for players. While some relish the opportunity to showcase their personality, others find it tiresome, enduring hours of photo sessions. Unfortunately for 9Pandas, their team was running behind schedule when it was their turn in front of the cameras, leading to this costly mistake.
As a consequence of their tardiness, 9Pandas lost 110 seconds of bonus time during the drafting stage. This penalty will have an impact on their upper bracket quarterfinal match against LGD.
According to escorenews, 9Pandas did not contest the decision as it was also approved by Valve. Throughout the 2023 season, the team has faced several drafting penalties, but these have had little effect on their performance as they entered TI 2023 in the upper bracket.
Despite a less than ideal start at TI 2023, 9Pandas comfortably made it through the group stage. In the second phase, they faced their regional rivals, BetBoom Team, and secured an upper bracket spot with a clutch victory.
While this will be 9Pandas’ first encounter with LGD in the upper bracket, it is not the case for Alexey “Solo” Berezin and Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev. The duo has faced the LGD organization multiple times in previous TIs’ upper brackets, resulting in quick trips to the lower bracket. With a chance for redemption, 9Pandas will strive for perfection and aim to break Solo and RAMZES’ notorious streak, despite the draft penalty hanging over them.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
