BOOT-d[S] confirm Benkai, w1nt3r departures

BOOT-d[S] have parted ways with Benedict "⁠Benkai⁠" Tan and Alikhan "⁠w1nt3r⁠" Kopzhanov, the Asian organisation have confirmed.

The announcement comes with little surprise as BOOT-d[S] captain Anthony "⁠ImpressioN⁠" Lim had already admitted at the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia Finals in an interview with HLTV.org that the team were "trying out different players" to replace the duo.

Benkai, whose last event with BOOT-d[S] was IEM Shanghai, will take a break from gaming to undergo his compulsory two-year military service stint.

Out of action since ESL One Cologne, w1nt3r leaves the team as he is unable to apply for a Chinese visa in Singapore - which forced the team to field stand-ins on numerous occasions in the past.

"I always thought the best of him [Benedict] as a player and a person," ImpressioN said in a statement. "I wish nothing but the best for him, having been through the very worst losses and best of wins with him, I know that a person of his calibre, of his capabilities, he will always shine and succeed in his endeavours.

"I look forward to the day that you are operationally ready because I am sure once you have regained your freedom that you will definitely be right back on the world stage.

"Alikhan was a player we needed, a player that inspired us to truly become a unit that could succeed, his short but definitely sweet period of time within our team proved with the results we achieved that he was definitely a capable player, a key one in our victories.

"I can not begin to express my gratitude for his time and effort neither can I really describe how sad I am to see him leave the team due to something so out of our control, helplessness is the worst feeling in the world and as his bratan I feel absolutely shattered that he is unable to continue his journey with us.

"Alikhan has been a great brother, a great teammate and a great player to us, I hope that the future will find you well, as a player of your talent and skill set will definitely be still, in my eyes, a rising star of Kazakhstan."

After finishing in third place in the Southeast Asia qualifier for the ESL Pro League, BOOT-d[S] will return to action in two weeks' time in the region's closed qualifier for the Asia Minor, scheduled for November 15-16.

The Singaporean team have the following line-up:

Anthony "⁠ImpressioN⁠" Lim
Nevin "⁠splashske⁠" Aw
Kumaresan "⁠Tommy⁠" Ramani
Leslie "⁠Bobosaur⁠" Soen (stand-in)
Benjamin "⁠moxie⁠" Kou (stand-in)