The timing couldn’t have been better for the Dota-loving nation of the Philippines: The new, star-studded lineup for Team Secret will make their debut at ESL One Manila, the first premier international LAN tournament to ever take place in the country.
In a roster shuffle that shocked the competitive Dota scene last month, Artour “Arteezy” Babaev rejoined Secret along with Evil Geniuses mainstay Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora.
UNiVeRsE, whose tenure with EG almost lasted three years, has been hailed as one of the game’s best offlaners for the past two years due to his incredible consistency.
Arteezy’s return to the superteam also turned heads. Babaev’s initial exit from the squad—immediately after the conclusion of last year’s iteration of The International—was mired in controversy after the Canadian carry publically lambasted some of his former teammates. Following his departure, Babaev spent roughly six months with EG before once again returning to Secret last month. With both Arora and Babaev in the fold, many experts believe that this roster is the most individually talented Dota team in the entire world.
In Manila however, their LAN-debut will be a challenge. Secret shares a group with EHOME, Empire and Fnatic. The latter have been in exceedingly sharp form following a successful campaign at the Valve major in Shanghai, where they placed 5-6th.
Secret’s debut game against Empire will take place on April 22 at 3pm ET.
