After a disastrous performance at The International 2023 Dota 2 and seventh place at ESL One Kuala Lumpur, Team Secret, led by Puppey, had to seriously review the squad before the start of the 2024 season. The team parted ways with Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, and a young Singaporean player, Teng “Kordan” Tjin Yao, took the position of midlainer.
MidOne’s departure was a real surprise. Most recently, at the end of 2023, he returned to Team Secret — after three years spent in OG and Team SMG. And here we are again, without a team, on the threshold of a new season. However, now the focus has shifted to his 21-year—old replacement, albeit on a temporary basis.
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New Team Secret lineup
Let’s be frank, Kordan is still relatively unknown compared to his predecessor. The Singaporean led Bleed Esports throughout 2023, playing alongside seasoned SEA Dota veterans like Daryl “iceiceice” Koh and Kim “DuBu” Doo-young. The team found success in the Dota Pro Circuit, winning the Tour Three title in June by defeating Blacklist International and Execration, securing their spot in the “home” Major in Bali.
Despite victories over BetBoom and Azure Ray, Kordan and Bleed failed to make it to the playoffs after losing a tiebreaker and then, a month later, fell short in the battle for the sole SEA slot at TI 2023. Nevertheless, Kordan continued to build his reputation in the midlane and became a star in pub games. Now he has the opportunity to play for one of the biggest teams in Dota, Team Secret.
New coach of Team Secret
Joining him will be Marcel “Ekki” Holovienko, who held the position of assistant coach at Secret last September before moving to Wisla Krakow and TSM. However, his return to Secret this time is not related to a coaching role, as the Polish player will take on the support position. Ekki will replace Daniil “yamich” Lazebny, who will be benched after a year in the team’s main lineup.
In reality, it is now rare to find those who have great faith in Secret’s success. Yes, there are always chances for this lineup to shine, but to be frank, those chances remain relatively low. Considering the numerous other roster changes that have occurred in the past few weeks leading up to the start of the ESL Pro Tour 2024, Puppey will need to exert tremendous efforts to make a splash in all competitions.
