Team Secret out of Singapore Major after losing in laggy match

Team Secret has been eliminated from the ONE Esports Singapore Major.

Europe’s last hope was knocked out of the event with a 2-0 loss to Invictus Gaming. This was preceded by an upper bracket loss at the hands of PSG.LGD. As a result, Team Secret is heading home as the tournament’s fourth-place finisher, which is worth $50,000 and 350 Dota Pro Circuit points. 

Team Secret’s losses to PSG.LGD were somewhat forgivable. Because of the Singapore Major’s safety protocols, Secret wasn’t afforded the opportunity to warm up for their games, arriving shortly ahead of the match against PSG.LGD while the Chinese team had competed in both the wildcard stage and the group stage.

Team Secret vs. PSG.LGD was a competitive match that saw both teams win their matches cleanly. PSG.LGD got on the board first then Secret forced a decider by winning game two, but couldn’t stifle Zhang "Faith_bian" Ruida’s momentum en route to a 2-1 loss.

Team Secret stayed alive in the event by defeating OB Esports x Neon in the lower bracket but came up against Invictus Gaming in the lower bracket semifinals. Invictus Gaming was dominant in the first game, capitalizing on a rough outing for Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg and a strong core combination of carry Io and mid Ursa.

Team Secret got off to a very strong start and looked ready to force a game three but a string of team fight losses saw Secret’s lead squandered and the team eliminated 2-0.

The dark cloud hanging over the match was lag issues. The second game was visibly dragging at times for viewers and things weren't any better for the actual players. There were multiple pauses during the game, but the game was forced to continue on, which may have cost Secret the chance to drag out the series.

Team Secret still in a good position for The International 10

For any other team, a fourth-place finish in the Singapore Major would be chalked up as a clear victory. But for Team Secret, first-place finishes have been the standard.

Team Secret had a historically great 2020 despite the postponement of The International 10. Though it slowed down a bit towards the end of the year, Team Secret’s undefeated run in DreamLeague Season 14 reestablished them as the favorites to win the Singapore Major. What’s even more surprising than the elimination is the fact that Team Secret didn’t look especially strong in any of its losses.

Regardless, Team Secret finds itself in a good position moving forward in the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit Season. Fourth place in the Singapore Major comes with 350 qualifying points towards The International 10. That positions Team Secret to qualify for TI10 with a decent finish in DreamLeague Season 15 regardless of their performance in the second major of the season.

With Team Secret being booted from the Singapore Major, the last surviving teams in the event are Invictus Gaming, PSG.LGD, and Evil Geniuses. PSG.LGD and Invictus Gaming are set to face off in the lower bracket finals while Evil Geniuses awaits the winner. The winner of the Singapore Major will be decided early Sunday morning.

Who is on Team Secret?

Team Secret brought back its roster from the scrapped 2019-2020 Dota Pro Circuit season, which includes the following players:

1. Lasse Aukusti "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen
2. Michał "Nisha" Jankowski
3. Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg
4. Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat
5. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov

It’s unlikely that the roster will change until after The International 10.