Team Secret eliminated from EWC MESWA Dota 2 qualifiers

One of the most storied and successful organizations in professional Dota 2 won’t compete at the Esports World Cup (EWC). Team Secret are now having to lick their wounds after falling to Nigma Galaxy (NGX) in the MESWA qualifiers. Secret fell to the lower bracket at the hands of Virtus.pro, who closed the series out in game 3 after dropping the second map. Secret then defeated sifr00 in the lower bracket, only to run headlong into NGX — a team that has been making top 8s at major tournaments this year.

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his ragtag band of almost entirely random pro Dota players have stumbled before even making it to what should be the most lucrative tournament of the year, and things aren’t looking that great for the future of this team.

A Turbulent Year

It’s no secret (pun intended) to anyone that’s been watching professional Dota over the last three years that Team Secret are nowhere to be found in terms of the highest level of play. This year has been no different, with six months of qualifier runs resulting in absolutely nothing for an organization that has been to The International eight times since forming in 2014.

That’s right: Puppey has yet to even play at a LAN or online tournament in 2025, because his attempts this year have all ended in failure. The Riyadh Masters qualifier tournament is just the latest in his list of disappointing outcomes this season, and it doesn’t look like things will change for him moving forward.

Team Secret are slated to play at the TI14 Western European qualifiers, having at least survived the open qualifiers to get themselves to the regionals. They’re currently seeded in the upper bracket quarterfinals against OG, who got invited to the regional qualifiers directly by Valve. And honestly, I’m not even sure they can get past that squad, random as OG’s current roster is right now as well.

No Continuity

Likewise, anyone who’s been paying attention to player movement around Secret will notice that there is just no permanence in the organization’s roster right now. Since failing to qualify for TI13 last year, the lineup has seen several changes, with Puppey remaining the lone constant in a maelstrom of transfers. Puppey still being here is no surprise, of course; he founded the organization and probably wants to keep playing for it, after all.

But lately it just seems like he’s throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. It’s not like the organization itself lacks good personnel, either — you’ve got veteran coach Lee “Heen” Seung-gon still around, and he helped bring Team Secret to the grand finals at TI11 just three years ago. Tue “ah fu” Soon Chuan assists Heen in this regard, so the support system is clearly there.

They just seem to have a hard time getting promising young talent on board, and when they do, they either never develop under their watch or simply leave and become better elsewhere. Remco “Crystallis” Arets is perhaps the best example of this, as he is now a member of Tundra Esports and just recently won BLAST Slam 3.

Just like in any other competitive pursuit, it’s difficult to get anywhere if there isn’t any real progression and continuity in your roster. Naturally, esports are more transient than traditional sports in this regard, given that most games don’t have a franchise model like, say, the NBA or NFL. But even then, running a team with a revolving door isn’t going to net you results, and it shows with Team Secret in the modern era.

Reversal of Fortunes

So Secret bowed out of the EWC qualifiers at the hands of Nigma Galaxy. If you had told me maybe five years ago that out of the “old” or “classic” western Dota teams like Nigma, Secret, and Evil Geniuses that Nigma would be the ones considered not washed up today, I’d have laughed at you. As it stands, Nigma have done a pretty good job of revitalizing their Dota 2 roster in the modern era, even though they still need to work on their play more in order to get back to top cutting major events.

We make it to the Grand Final!

GG @teamsecret pic.twitter.com/CfIhgfZHGS

— Nigma Galaxy (@NigmaGalaxy) June 10, 2025

Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi’s decision to step away from the active roster and give way to others has been huge for Nigma’s resurgence in 2025. As the losses pile up for him, Puppey may have to ask himself if doing the same is perhaps the right thing this late in his career. He’s already one of the greatest Dota players of all time, with an International title to his name and tons of accolades as one of the most grizzled veterans ever.

If he wants Team Secret to shore itself out of mediocrity, then it may be time for him to accept that his best years as a player are behind him.