Evil Geniuses Clinton ‘Fear’ Loomis sidelined at least until after TI4

Ever since Clinton 'Fear' Loomis indicated last week that there was an announcement incoming the community has been dreading the news to come. Today, Evil Geniuses finally confirmed that Fear's injuries, which have kept him sidelined for most of the year so far, will prevent him from taking part in The International. In his place, the team will continue to play with Mason 'Mason' Venne, the North American carry player who has impressed many during his time with the team, being part of much of the success that earned EG their direct invite to Seattle this year.

Included in the statement is also confirmation that, as most had expected, Valve will not punish the team for this medical impediment. This follows the precedent set by Valve in regards to Hyper Glory Team, who were allowed to replace their mid player Hu 'KaKa' Liangzhi who had fallen ill with Tianyu 'Cty' Chen and not lose out on their shot at the Chinese Qualifiers. While losing players to illness before a big event is a difficult position to be put in, the establishment of such a precedent should at least give teams a bit of piece of mind when faced with potential injuries in the future.

As a final note, had this practice been in place last year it might have been to the advantage of Quantic Gaming to let their carry player Titouan 'Sockshka' Merloz be replaced as well, as he was unable to practice in the lead-up to the event and attended Seattle with his hand still in a soft cast.

Statement from the team:

It's been no secret that Clinton has been suffering from a form of tennis elbow for the past few months and hasn't been able to play with the team consistently over that time. Unfortunately, we don't know what the state of his arm will be like for the next two months. We don't know how his recovery will progress or if it will relapse during a strenuous LAN season. Accordingly, we've collectively decided that it would be best for Clinton to sit out until after this year's International. Mason will be filling in for him, as has been happening for the past several months. We're very lucky to have found someone who not only brings a high level of skill to the table, but works well with the other players.

This is a difficult situation for everyone involved, and we are very grateful to Valve for understanding and working with us. As of now, Clinton will focus on continuing to rehab his injury and will seek a casting position for TI4. While his future in Dota 2 is uncertain, one thing that we're sure of is that we'll be around to support Clinton whenever he needs it.

Statement by Clinton 'Fear' Loomis:

Because of my elbow/forearm pain, I have decided to sit out for the remainder of the season. I'm sorry to all of my fans that were expecting me to play at TI, but I will not be playing in any more tournaments for EG, and Mason will be taking my place. I will be writing a blog later explaining in detail why I made this choice and many other factors leading up to my choice and inactivity.

Source: Evil Geniuses