On Monday, Estral Esports’ toplaner Park "Summit" Woo-tae was provisionally suspended from competing pending the outcome of a full investigation, after being seen watching game replays during a pause that lasted over two hours due to DDoS attacks. The best-of-five series, which was stopped at a 2-1 score in favor of Disguised, could not be completed and will resume on October 7 at 1 PM PT.

After the end of their partnership with Isurus, Estral returned to compete in the LRN, the Central American regional league that grants its champion and runner-up a spot in the promotion tournament for next year’s LCS. Having reached the finals, Estral qualified for this event, where they already defeated Conviction — the NACL finalist — in the Play-In stage before facing Disguised for a spot in the Upper Bracket Final against Luminosity Gaming.

Pleading for a More Human Management

In their statement, Estral addressed the situation, explaining that the DDoS attack led to a pause of more than two hours, during which the team received neither clear guidance nor communication from the organizers. Despite Summit’s mistake, Estral insisted there was no intent to cheat, calling it the result of an uncomfortable and confusing situation. They’re now pleading for a more human and understanding approach in their appeal. Estral will have to play the remainder of the series — and possibly the rest of the tournament — with a substitute while waiting for further details.