Team Secret couldn’t catch a break in their rough year as the team was relegated to division two for the second time. With The International qualifiers remaining as the final hope to salvage 2023, Secret imported another player from Southeast Asia, Saieful “Fbz” Ilham.
Fbz will replace Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan, who parted ways with Secret yesterday.
Related: Team Secret making big roster moves ahead of final run to Dota 2’s TI12
Fbz comes to Secret on loan from BOOM Esports, another top performer in 2022 who hasn’t had much luck in 2023. Like Secret, BOOM Esports were also relegated to the second division in their regional league, meaning all the parties involved in the trade are in similar positions in the DPC.
With results not favoring Secret over 2023, the team has been trying to find a working formula with new members throughout the Dota Pro Circuit. Though there have been glimpses of hope, Secret failed to maintain form, putting themselves in a difficult spot when it comes to qualifying for TI12.
Secret’s run so far also means that one of Dota 2’s greatest competitive records is in danger since Puppey has been the only player who attended all TIs. Missing TI12 would put a cap on that record, which Puppey is looking to avoid by pulling a miracle run in the qualifiers.
Considering Secret was also on an impressive run at TIs, improving their placement every year, fans were expecting them to finally win it all in 2023. Despite looking far away from the event, Puppey claims everyone is “f**cked” if he completes a near-impossible run to TI and continues his all-timer streak alive in Seattle.
