Team Secret Announces New Position Four as YapzOr Takes an Extended Break

In an unexpected development, Team Secret has announced the departure of position four player Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat. The organization communicated on its social media handles that YapzOr will take an extended break from Dota 2 to focus on his health. The player has apparently struggled with his health for the past few weeks. In the wake of his departure, Secret announced the appointment of former Hydra player Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov to replace him at position four. Since YapzOr has been absent, Zayac has filled in for Secret in Western Europe (WEU) Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 Tour 3: Division 1.

Team Secret introduces Zayac as the new position four player as YapzOr takes a break from competitive Dota 2

“This is one of the hardest announcements we've had to make,” Team Secret wrote on Twitter regarding YapzOr’s departure, hoping for a speedy recovery for the player.

Team Secret’s updated Dota 2 roster:

1. Remco "Crystallis" Arets

2. Michał "Nisha" Jankowski

3. Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang

4. Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov

5. Clement "Puppey" Ivanov

• Lee "Heen" Seung Gon (Coach)

Following Secret's first series against OG, Zayac filled in for YapzOr in the next four series due to health issues. Valve's rules allow a team to play four matches with a stand-in in a league, so the question was whether YapzOr would return. As things stand, the player has left the team and is taking an extended break and Secret thanks Valve for allowing it to alter the roster mid-season.

After serving as the backbone of Secret's Dota 2 roster for five years, YapzOr is forced to part ways. The position four player joined the team in May 2017 and established himself as a reliable and flamboyant player, known for his greedy yet effective play style. During his time with Secret, YapzOr won five Dota 2 Majors and finished in the top six at The International 8, 9, and 10.

Taking over for YapzOr will be Zayac, a talented support player who has mostly played in Eastern European teams in his career. Last, he was a member of Hydra during the early DPC 2021-22 Tours.

Secret has had a middling outing in Tour 3 so far, with a current 2-3 win-loss record. Despite its losses, Secret has been very competitive in those series, and with four Major slots available for WEU, the team shall be confident of landing one.

It will be interesting to see how Secret, which must qualify for the Major and perform well there in order to receive a direct invite to The International 11, performs with Zayac. In light of YapzOr's performances and contributions to the team, filling his shoes is no easy task, but Zayac may prove to be a blessing in disguise.