North American pubstar Mason "Mason" Venne has been playing as a stand in for Fear on team Evil Geniuses for a couple of months now, but it was announced earlier that he has finally officially joined them as a carry player. Fear, who has been sidelined by an elbow injury, will be out for the rest of the season until after TI4. Mason will be playing for EG at The Summit, and will likely play at TI4 as well.
It's no secret that Clinton "Fear" Loomis, carry player for Evil Geniuses, has been out of commission for several months with an injury to his elbow. However, nobody knew how long the time of recovery would be. Below is a statement released by Fear just hours ago.
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.
This means that Fear will be unable to play for his team at the upcoming International. Fortunately for them, Mason Venne, the all-American pubstar, has risen to the occasion. Boasting one of the highest win rates in professional Dota at 79%, he has recently been playing with EG as a standin under the moniker "9tentaclesurprise." Although Mason repeatedly stated in previous interviews that he had no intention of playing for a professional Dota 2 team, he also mentioned that he enjoyed playing with Arteezy and company.
With Mason joining EG, they have become one of the youngest teams that will be attending TI4. Whether or not Valve will decide to review their invitation for EG to TI4 is still in question.
For more information, view the official announcement here.
Image from SLTV facebook.
