Team 9z were sensationally eliminated from the CS Asia Championships 2025 qualifier after receiving a technical forfeit in the semifinals. The reason was an incident with player Luken, who overslept the match after taking calming pills.
Semifinal Incident
During the night, in the semifinal of the qualifier, 9z were disqualified with a technical loss. The absence of Luken, who failed to show up for the match, shocked fans, especially with a spot at a prestigious tournament with a $1,000,000 prize pool on the line.
In the end, Imperial won the qualifier, defeating Fluxo 2-0 in the final and securing a slot at the main LAN event in Shanghai.
Words from Luken
After the incident, Luken personally explained the reason for his absence:
“I’ll explain what happened so you know and stop asking. This isn’t an excuse, it’s just how it was. I’m very exhausted because of some personal issues, I took a pill to calm down, and eventually fell asleep far from my phone — who knows, maybe I even turned off the alarms in my sleep. That’s it. I feel really sad about this, and the only thing left is to take responsibility for what happened. I’m sorry.”
Community Reaction
Under Luken’s post on X, the community actively voiced their emotions. Some fans reacted with frustration and irony:
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- Sergio: “segui de jodita, no te da” — a reproachful comment, implying the player is taking things too lightly.
- 9zTakeshi: “Pero y el equipo no concentra todo junto? nt lpm.” — questioning the team’s preparation: why weren’t they all together at a bootcamp or hotel.
- MONESY (not the Team Falcons player): @9zTeam queremos jugadores comprometidos con la organización, hagan lo que tengan que hacer — a direct call for the organization’s management to focus on player commitment and professionalism.
The comments reflect a mix of disappointment, criticism, and demands for higher professionalism from both the player and the team.
Tournament Format and Dates
The CS Asia Championships 2025 will take place in Shanghai and bring together some of the world’s top teams. The tournament format is as follows:
Group Stage: October 14th – 16th, 2025
- Two groups with double-elimination (GSL) format
- Eight teams per group
- All matches are Bo3
Top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs:
- Group winners advance to the Semifinals
- Runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as High Seeds
- Third-place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as Low Seeds
Playoffs: October 17th – 19th, 2025
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- Single-elimination bracket
- All matches (except Grand Final) are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
