A jam-packed match schedule led to Vega Squadron withdrawing from Mr. Cat Invitational's qualifiers, giving Empire an auto-win and a place in the Lower-Bracket finals.
Vega Squadron found themselves in a catch-22 situation, today, with a schedule so heavy it meant playing three different tournaments on the same day, and matches in close proximity to each other. After what must have been a difficult decision, Vega decided to withdraw from Mr. Cat Invitational and forfeit their match against Team Empire in the European qualifier's lower-bracket semi-final, guaranteeing Team Empire a place in the Lower Bracket Final where they will face off against Ninjas in Pyjamas.
The sharks might have bitten off more than they could chew, as they slowly realized that they had to play against Effect in the EPICENTER European Qualifiers just an hour after their game against Team Empire in the Mr. Cat Invitational's qualifier started. Later on in the day, Vega Squadron also face off against Natus Vincere in the European Qualifiers for the Summit 7. Vega's manager Alexander 'OneLuckyDay' Kazannikov commented on the situation as he announced the team's withdrawal:
While many fans may be disheartened not to see the clash of the two Russian giants, they should save their energy as they've got a lot of matches to watch their favourite team play in, and possibly battle their way through the qualifiers of either EPICENTER or The Summit 7 for some intense LAN action. Mr. Cat Invitational Europe features the ten best Dota teams from CIS and Europe battling it out for a prize pool of 50,000$ and perhaps also, a possible determinant for a direct invite to the International. Tune in at 15:00 CEST today to our EPICENTER hub to watch Vega Squadron fight out Effect, and try to make their withdrawal from Mr. Cat worth it.
source: Vega's website
