A disappointing run.
The Closed Qualifiers for Riyadh Masters witnessed an upset in the Western European region. The renowned Team Secret failed to make it into the $5 million Riyadh Masters despite being one of the top contenders in the region, losing out its slot to both Entity and MOUZ. Team Secret finishes in third place.
"Incredibly disappointing run. No Riyadh for us," the organization posted.
Team Secret in a rough form
Team Secret has been on a decline this year so far, struggling to make it out of qualifiers and bombing out early in invited tournaments. The roster, led by the veteran captain Clement "Puppey" Ivanov, has also been irregular with constant changes and shifts. Team Secret currently do not have an official position 4 and fielded a relatively unknown Russian player, Shishak, during the Riyadh Masters qualifiers.
In the Riyadh Masters regional quals, the team had a great Upper Bracket start, winning against Dragon Esports and Dandelions. But when paired against the more stable Entity and MOUZ, Team Secret crumbled. They barely missed the slot against Entity, in which they grabbed one win in the series. But against MOUZ was a tougher 0-2 defeat. MOUZ is a new team in the Dota 2 scene, fielding players from Europe and Asia.
With this Riyadh Masters qualifier loss, Team Secret once again fails to make it to a tournament. The team previously fell short in the qualifiers for BetBoom Dacha Dubai, ESL One Birmingham, and DreamLeague Season 23. In the tier 1 events, Team Secret saw a bottom place finish in DreamLeague Season 22, Elite League, and PGL Wallachia. The recent tier 2 FISSURE Universe: Episode 2 also saw Team Secret eliminated by MOUZ.
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Riyadh Masters qualifiers finalized
The qualifier round for Riyadh Masters now have winners from every region. You can find out the list of Closed Qualifier winners here. Riyadh Masters kickstarts in a month time on July 4 and will span three weeks! Read more about the $5 million Riyadh Masters below!
