Steven Rondina • Apr 04, 02:38

beastcoast missed the ONE Esports Singapore Major, and one of its players is paying a price for that.

The top team of South America’s OGA Dota Pro Circuit League is slapping a fine on team captain Steven “StingeR” Vargas. This stems from the player breaking beastcoast’s health protocols and exposing the rest of his team. 

“Unfortunately, in the days leading up to the team’s flight to Singapore…[StingeR] disregarded our agreed upon protocols and came into contact with someone who tested positive…We are very disappointed in his actions and as a result, he will be fined in accordance with beastcoast policies,” beastcoast said in a statement obtained by Dot Esports.

It was not stated how much StingeR was fined for. Despite how costly this mistake was for both StingeR and the team, beastcoast indicated that he will remain with the squad moving forward.

Catch up on Singapore Major news:

beastcoast could have won big in Singapore Major

Ahead of the Singapore Major, StingeR came into contact with an unspecified individual who had tested positive, and was then in direct contact with the rest of the beastcoast roster. This ultimately put the entire team at risk and forced them to withdraw from the event while they awaited future testing.

beastcoast’s prospects at the Singapore Major were tough to decipher during the lead-up. The team had placed in the top eight at three straight Valve-sanctioned tournaments, but the assumed difference in strength between each region made it unclear whether beastcoast was an elite-level team or just a big fish in a small pond. 

But things have shaken out in a way that suggests the team could have made a deep run at the tournament. 

Thunder Predator, beastcoast’s foremost regional rival, enjoyed a surprisingly deep run in the tournament, placing top six and dominating the group stage. beastcoast placed above Thunder Predator in the OGA Dota Pro Circuit League and won their match 2-0. All this suggests that beastcoast could have made a very good run in the event and might have taken home some much-needed Dota Pro Circuit qualifying points.

beastcoast is now eyeing the second cycle in the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit. The team will need to post a strong performance in the second league cycle, and may need to follow that up with a strong performance in the second major of the season in order to earn a direct invitation to The International 10.