Liquid Withdraw from Fragadelphia Blocktober Due to Health, Travel & Preparation Concerns

Liquid Withdraw from Fragadelphia Blocktober Due to Health, Travel & Preparation Concerns

Team Liquid has officially withdrawn from Fragadelphia Blocktober 2025, the North American LAN set for October 2–5 in Philadelphia. Their withdrawal means they will forfeit their opening matches. 

Liquid’s General Manager, Steve “jokasteve” Perino, stated that a combination of health concerns, limited practice time, travel strain, and ranking considerations drove the decision:

“We always have to weigh the risks, such as impact on our ranking, limited practice time, added travel, and jet lag.”
“We also are dealing with some health issues within the team and that made the decision clear. For the well-being of our players, we had to withdraw from Frag Blocktober.” 

Because Liquid’s withdrawal occurred past the 17-day withdrawal window, they remain seeded in the bracket but must forfeit their matches. 

However, the withdrawal will not affect their VRS (Valve Regional Standings) points, since HLTV covers only the top-24 portion of the 48-team bracket, and Liquid would not have their VRS impacted by forfeiting. 

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Context: Liquid’s Major Race & Roster Moves

EliGE Re-Registration & Major Cutoff

Earlier, Liquid had registered Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski as their fifth player for Fragadelphia Blocktober, marking his return after leaving FaZe. 
This registration allowed Liquid to ensure that EliGE’s roster presence would count toward their Major invite eligibility via VRS, given that teams must play a required number of ranked matches before the cutoff. 

At the Birch Cup 2025, Liquid secured enough matches to meet that requirement, solidifying that EliGE could officially be considered part of the roster for the upcoming Major cutoff on October 6. 

Major Invite Race & VRS Standing

As things stand, Liquid holds 1,647 VRS points, which brings them just above 3DMAX by 18 points in HLTV’s predictive model. 
FaZe also sit in the same competitive range with 1,643 points, though they have no further events to play, while 3DMAX still has playoff opportunities to close the gap. 

Fragadelphia was the final LAN in the Americas before the Major invite cutoff, making attendance especially significant for teams trying to lock in their VRS scores. 

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Implications & Reactions

Strategic Withdrawal Over Risk

Liquid’s decision reflects a strategic prioritization of player health, roster stability, and ranking security over chasing another event flecked with travel risk. The health issue mentioned appears to have been the decisive factor. 

Forfeiture Consequences

Because Liquid enters after the withdrawal deadline, they will be forfeited in the bracket but still seeded. This unusual situation means they lose match outcomes without incurring a damage to VRS points. 

Broader Shakeup in Major Race

With Liquid out of Blocktober, available VRS point opportunities may shift to other teams. 3DMAX, which still has active matches, may benefit the most. 

Ninjas in Pyjamas, another prominent team, faces uncertainty about attendance due to visa issues, though their General Manager, Björn “THREAT” Pers, claims they still aim to compete.