“We kind of knew this was going to happen one day” – SiegeGG
As announced by Invictus Gaming and confirmed by Jeremy “HysteRiX” Tan to SiegeGG, the Singaporean will not be able to play at Sweden Major next week. This follows a previous tweet from HysteRiX who had indicated that he could not go, which had been published before one last, final appeal had failed.
Team coach Ellis “GiG” Hindle plays in his place, who played on and won the small, UK-based epic26 LAN event 2019 with MnM Gaming. GiG also played in the ESL Premiership Winter 2018, as well as a CCS Europe qualifier.
“So, at the moment, I have run out of (annual) leave from NS,” HysteRiX said in an interview with SiegeGG, referring to his national duties. NS is a period of 22 or 24 months in Singapore, where all able-bodied men over the age of 18 must serve in either the military, the police or the civil defense force. HysteRiX serves in the police.
“I can no longer take leave this year for the major because I took leave in May and August for the SI and Mexico major,” he elaborated. “There is no way for me to get extra time off for this competition.”
Although frustrating, the news has not come as a complete surprise.
“Since my recruitment, we have known that this will one day happen,” HysteRiX revealed. “Honestly, the last two years have only been a blessing, I should not have been able to compete at all. I guess this Swedish major is okay with losing it, not going.”
According to HysteRiX, GiG has trained gelning with the team as a player and has worked on his individual skill through Counter-Strike and ranked games with some European professionals. The Singaporean has also helped his coach memorize the settings he usually makes in the game.
Practice for the Englishman means he has to wake up early in the morning to play with his Singaporean teammates, who are eight hours ahead. But despite the late and significant change, HysteRiX is optimistic about their team’s chances and believes they can still make it to the playoffs.
“Since my role is largely a flex role, there has been no specific job for me to do,” he said when asked if the tactical changes the team will need. “It also plays into GiG’s strengths in attack, where he can see the big picture and know all the small movements he needs to make.”
Despite the positive, Invictus Gaming had still wanted to either bring their replacement Muhammad “Ultima” Ariffin Bin Mohamed Shah instead, or sign a free agent – potentially the player’s former teammate, Adrian “Ysaera” Wui. But with school commitments for the former, and transfer rules for the latter, both of these options were ruled out.
Although the move proves to be a death knell for iG’s chances of qualifying for the Six Invitational 2022, with the team needing a strong run-in to the playoffs to qualify through Global SI Points, HysteRiX is ready to run the open qualifying glove.
“In any case, we will go to SI, of course,” he says confidently.
If the team qualifies, HysteRiX will be available to participate, as his NS will be complete then.
Capture Invictus Gaming on November 8, as they take on Ninjas in Pajamas to launch their Sweden Major campaign.