Team Secret finished the 2023 DPC in the second division, but the team received a second chance at glory after Valve scrapped the DPC for 2024. Ahead of the new year, Team Secret announced the return of two former players, Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan and Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng.
Before the move, there were high expectations for changes within the team, so the news was received with disappointment by the fans. BOOM had been removed from the roster just in June 2023, and MidOne had been playing in the offlane instead of his usual mid-lane position, raising concerns among fans about his performance compared to Armel Paul Tabios.
Given Team Secret’s lackluster performance in the previous season, the team was anticipated to face challenges in attracting new players. Dota 2 enthusiasts hoped that Secret would scout talented pubstars from the game’s ranked ladder, however, allowing them to flourish under Clement “Puppey” Ivanov’s leadership.
With the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 qualifiers commencing this weekend, it remains uncertain which region’s qualifiers Team Secret will participate in. Although Secret has primarily competed in the Western European region in recent years, there is a possibility they might opt for the MENA or SEA qualifiers.
During the summer, Puppey went undercover for Dota 2’s Riyadh Masters 2023, trying to qualify for the tournament through the MENA qualifiers. Based on the current invite/qualifier spot situation, it would be highly beneficial for Team Secret to consider region hopping due to the great competition in WEU.
Despite being the most dominant region in 2023, WEU received a single qualification spot for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, meaning the likes of Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Quest Esports, and Entity will be competing for one seat, a challenging environment for the rebuilt Secret roster.
