There has been trouble in paradise for Team Secret as the team’s disappointing run in the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit season. With only a single series to go, Secret found themselves on the brink of relegation; they must not lose a single match, and Into The Breach and Nigma Galaxy must lose their remaining series for Secret to stay in division one.
Considering Secret was coming into the new season after an impressive run at The International 2022, most expected them to show up with impressive form, but plans changed for the worse after Nisha left Secret for Liquid.
Though Secret filled the gap in its roster with Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan, the team was nowhere near its TI form. In the meantime, Nisha and Liquid went on to have a dominating run to guarantee themselves a Major spot, leaving many fans questioning Secret’s decision-making while finalizing their 2023 roster.
From a statistical standpoint, almost any addition to Secret was going to be a downgrade from Nisha since the mid star is playing the best Dota 2 of his career these last two years.
Despite attending TI and having a decent year, BOOM left his former team on a sour note as he was kicked due to undisclosed issues with his former teammates.
Given BOOM’s situation prior to his arrival at Secret, some fans considered him an “inferior” replacement for Nisha. The roster change also exposed several underlying issues in Secret’s play since there wasn’t anyone to pick up the slack.
During Secret’s TI run, Nisha was often under the spotlight, either carrying his team or creating enough space for others to flourish. With him gone, Secret’s other cores, Crystallis and Resolut1on, have been struggling to shine.
The fans were already criticizing Crystallis’ game impact during TI11, and it’s become a hot topic of discussion again as the player hasn’t been able to step up to take the mantle for Secret.
While there could be various factors behind Secret’s poor showing in the first quarter of 2023, one fan compared the situation to LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010. As soon as LeBron left, the Cavs were suddenly out of the championship race until he returned in 2014.
Secret may be out of shape, but their hope to remain in division one lives on. The team already beat one of their current rivals, ITB, and they’re set to face Nigma, another team fighting to avoid relegation, on Jan. 27. ITB and Nigma’s remaining matches are considerably tougher than Secret, so the TI-runner-up might cling onto their div one slot.
