Will Team DK be attending Starladder IX in Ukraine without LaNm?

If you’re excited to see Team DK in action in Starladder IX in Kiev, Ukraine, don’t get your hopes up just yet. It seems Team DK will either miss Starladder IX or attend with a stand-in, as Zhang ‘LaNm’ Zhicheng might not be able to get his visa in time after losing his state ID card. A plea for his lost wallet was posted on his weibo and we’ve translated it:

Help, friends in Yinchuan please help spread this urgent message, today on the return to Yinchuan my passport and wallet were lost on the bus, in the wallet was $3500 in cash and around 500 RMB, four bank cards, and my state ID card. It’s very urgent as there’s no time to get a new ID, on the 16th I have to leave the country for a competition, so the money doesn’t have to come back but I must have my ID. Thank you everyone. Traffic radio hotline: 15009589769. Extremely urgent.

With the LAN finals in Ukraine in just two weeks, the chances of LaNm getting a visa in time are really very slim.

Team DK is one of the two teams representing China in Starladder IX, the other team being Invictus Gaming (iG), whose four players have successfully acquired a visa to Ukraine. The team is only waiting for their Malaysian player Wong Hock ‘ChuaN’ Chuan’s visa, but according to them, it “should be fixed soon”.

(See: Star Ladder IX China: Invictus Gaming joins Team DK in Kiev)

There has been no official announcement yet, but if Team DK won’t be able to attend, it is possible that they will be replaced by Team Newbee, who placed third in the qualifiers.
Starladder IX is one of the major tournaments that teams look to attend in order to prepare for The International 2014.

Although playing with a stand-in could mean less chances of winning, missing this tournament would be a loss for Team DK in terms of experience. After all, DK should know that winning a tournament with a stand-in is possible, after losing to SpeedGaming (now Cloud 9), who was playing with a stand-in in the grand finals of MLG Columbus.

If LaNm won’t be able to get his visa in time, should Team DK forfeit or play with a stand-in instead? Who do you think would be a suitable stand-in for LaNm?