Gentle Mates replace Lynn Vision at EPL*

The Chinese squad was unable to field a complete roster and had to be replaced.

Update 10:20 : Gentle Mates coach speaks out on Birch and EPL schedule conflict

Eloy "⁠deLonge⁠" Suárez has taken to X to talk about the team's scheduling clash, saying Birch Cup has refused to replace the team at the event, putting Gentle Mates "between a rock and a hard place."

"The Birch staff has informed us that we cannot be replaced in their tournament. However, from our perspective, allowing a replacement would actually protect the competitive integrity of the event and prevent the much more damaging scenario of a forced forfeit in later rounds," he said.

"In my opinion, no team should be penalized for getting invited to a higher-tier event that represents a huge opportunity in their professional growth."

---

Original story:

ESL has announced that Lynn Vision have been replaced by Gentle Mates in the upcoming ESL Pro League.

The announcement did not specify the reason other than the Chinese squad being "unable to field a complete roster" for the tournament.

Gentle Mates were chosen as the replacement due to being the next in line for an invite from the host region (Europe), per ESL's rule 3.2.6 Last-minute Replacements.

Four teams appeared above Gentle Mates on the last available invitation European ranking from September 1, but Ninjas in Pyjamas, SAW and BetBoom were ineligible because they previously declined a closed qualifier invite, while fnatic were the first team approached before Gentle Mates and declined the invitation, an ESL representative told HLTV.

It is unclear how this will affect Gentle Mates' plans and travel schedule. The Spanish side is currently competing at the Birch Cup in Gdańsk, Poland, which is slated to run until Sunday evening — the same day that ESL Pro League's Stage 1 is set to kick off with all 16 teams playing the first round of matches.

Should they make it to the semi-finals in Gdańsk, Gentle Mates will likely be forced to forfeit their match to arrive at the Swedish event in time.

The last-minute invite comes at a crucial time for the team around Alejandro "⁠alex⁠" Masanet, which is currently projected to finish at the brink of invitations for the StarLadder Budapest Major, with fierce competition around them and several LANs to play in the last week's run up to the invitation deadline.