Fbz arrives Team Secret on loan

The 2023 season has been a complete disaster for Team Secret, one of the most important teams worldwide in the Dota 2 scene. After being relegated to Division II for the second time, Team Secret signed Saieful “Fbz” Ilham on loan to turn their situation around and fight for international qualification.

An organization like Team Secret, which comes from finishing in the TOP 3 of The International for two consecutive editions, cannot afford to have such a disappointing season as they are having right now. Moreover, this team needs to react if they want to return to the top of the Dota 2 scene.

Team Secret announces Fbz as Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan’s replacement

Through an announcement on their Twitter account, Team Secret announced the signing via a loan of Fbz, who arrives from BOOM Esports. As we mentioned, this move comes at a very complicated time for Team Secret, as they failed to stay in Division I after the last Tour.

Welcome to the squad, ngab Fbz 🇮🇩

He will be joining us on a loan from @boomesportsid for the remainder of the season. Thank you for making this possible 🤝

See you tomorrow for the DreamLeague S20!#SecretDota #ESLProTour pic.twitter.com/SncXC7FIBV

— Team Secret (@teamsecret) June 10, 2023

BOOM Esports, another of the big Dota 2 teams in the 2022 season, is also not playing a good 2023 season. Like Team Secret, BOOM lost its place in the DPC Division I, so both are in similar situations.

The 2023 season, so far, is complicated for Team Secret, and now they are betting on a change in their lineup to try to straighten the course in the DPC. While it is true that the team has shown signs of improvement in some of their recent games played, their lack of performance and consistency currently has them far from qualifying for The International 12.

Puppey’s record in serious jeopardy

This terrible and disappointing season for Team Secret may spell the end of one of history’s most impressive records in the professional Dota 2 scene. The 33-year-old Estonian player, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, is the only player in Dota 2 history to have participated in every The International ever played.

As things currently stand, Team Secret needs a near miracle to get back on track in the qualifiers and earn its place at TI12. There is no doubt that Puppey’s experience and the talent of the rest of the lineup will help in this fight, but the team needs to have more consistency when facing the games.

Moreover, it’s not just Puppey losing their participation record in IT, but Team Secret has improved their ranking in The International in recent years. Recall that in 2018 they finished in 5th-6th place, 2019 in 4th place, and 2021 in 3rd place. Finally, right now, they are the runners-up of The International 11.

While it is true that Team Secret has a very uphill road to qualify for IT, Puppey stated in an interview that, should they make it, the rest of the teams should watch out, as Team Secret would go on to win it all.

Header: Team Secret