Cover-Credits:
The Western European qualifier for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 was one of the most competitive, with several strong teams participating, and Team Secret did not look like a top contender after the first day. However, the team recovered from that early setback and qualified for the main tournament following an impressive lower bracket run. In the lower bracket final, Secret defeated Entity by a score of 2-0 thanks to great execution and strong drafts. As the qualifier progressed, Team Secret's offlaner, Miroslav "BOOM" Bičan, elevated his performance, showcasing precision in his gameplay to propel the team to the main tournament.
Team Secret qualifies for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023
Secret faced Entity in the lower bracket final on 18th, 2023, with the final spot for Western Europe for the main tournament on the line after Team Liquid took the first.
Secret managed to balance kills and objectives by drafting a lineup centered on the carry Muerta in the first game. Even though the networth was relatively even throughout the larger portion of the game, Secret pushed the accelerator with Muerta, striking the enemy high ground objectives with teammates backing her up, and Entity was unable to fight back.
Entity had a surprising mid Spirit Breaker pick in the second game, while Secret had a similar type of draft that intended to play quickly. The game stayed tight once again, but Secret's heroes' 40-minute timing was simply too potent for Entity to overcome, and it lost the second game and the series.
Secret had to go a great distance from the first round of the lower bracket to reach this stage. The team did not look like in the best shape in the open qualifier and then fell to OG in the first upper bracket final by a score of 2-0. Teams like OG, Entity, Team Tickles, and Alliance seemed more solid than Secret at the time.
In the first lower bracket game, Clement "Puppey" Ivanov and his teammates secured a very close win against Alliance, the third game going 85 minutes. The team never looked back and defeated Team Tickles in the next round, avenged its loss to OG in the next round, and ultimately defeated Entity in the finals to qualify for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.
Despite facing initial criticism upon its formation, Secret's roster has overcome early challenges and successfully qualified. Keeping the momentum going and improving any shortcomings will be key to competing well at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 for Team Secret, which begins on 11th December.
