MoistCr1TiKaL's Apex Legends roster has been dropped & he's furious
MoistEsports had a brilliant Split 1 in Year 4 of the ALGS, finishing second behind DarkZero in the North American Pro League and racking up an impressive 199 kills.
The next step was, of course, LAN, with the Playoffs taking place in NA and bringing together the best Apex Legends teams from across the globe to compete.
With a star-studded roster of Matthew "Emtee" Trengove, Ben "Wxltzy" Walton, and Zachary "Gild" Dennis, Moist was expected to make a serious run at LAN and potentially even win.
However, Charles "MoistCr1TiKaL" White Jr. has been forced to drop the entire roster due to US visa issues, and he's absolutely furious.
MoistCr1TiKaL forced to drop Apex roster due to US visa issues
Due to the Year 4 Playoffs taking place in Los Angeles and two of Moist's players being from Australia, both competitors need to apply for visas to compete. Unfortunately, despite the organisation applying twice and even hiring lawyers to aid with the process, it has been denied both times.
This has "infuriated" MoistCr1TiKaL, as US immigration gives no legitimate reason why the players shouldn't be allowed to enter. Even with high-level executives at EA "going to bat" for them, the organization continued to be rejected.
"We re-submitted and our resubmission has just been declined again... we have been working with the best lawyers in the industry, the best lawyers on this planet that specialises in the field, and none of them can believe we've been declined again."
To allow the competitors to take part in the LAN, the org has been forced to drop the entire roster. This is because the players can enter the US as long as Moist is not representing them.
Why were Moist esports' visa applications denied?
Click to enlargeWhen it comes to explaining why Moist keeps being denied, the org has a few theories, but none of them have been fully confirmed by US immigration.
Charlie speculates that it comes down to the team's name, with Moist being "a little yucky to people" and a word that isn't liked very much. While this sounds trivial, lawyers helping Moist have revealed that even small reasons like this can be enough to get you rejected.
This is because your pass into the country is determined by a single agent, and if they say no, there's nothing you can do. We will be Emtee, Wxltzy and Gild at LAN, they just won't be under the Moist banner - let's hope this frustrating experience doesn't affect their performance on stage.
