Secret perfect in ESL One LA, despite MATUMBAMAN Rapier fail
Team Secret kicked off 2020 ESL One Los Angeles’ regional league with a winning streak.
The top squad in Dota 2 has so far continued to make its fans proud with an almost perfect run in the group stage. Through six days of competition, the team is 4-0 in its series, with a map record of 8-1. The European team has gone up against Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Natus Vincere, and Chicken Fighters in Group B.
In a match against Na’Vi, Team Secret became overconfident and it almost cost them the game. The team made a huge mistake when Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen dropped his Divine Rapier in a crucial team fight, turning the tides of the game.
“The Sacred Relic is flying in on my courier and I’m trying to block the Demon Edge but it combined… I’m like ‘Oh, boy! Oh, boy!’ I think we should have lost actually.” MATUMBAMAN said jokingly in the post-game interview.
As any Dota 2 fan knows, a dropped Divine Rapier can be a death knell for a team. Secret managed to avoid an embarrassing loss, however.
Na’Vi tried to punish Team Secret but Idan “MagicaL” Vardanian played a little too safe. MATUMBAMAN stretched the time to purchase another Divine Rapier and Team Secret was able to finally seal the deal.
Despite rapier gaffe, Team Secret stays strong in ESL One Los Angeles
Though Secret played some very strong competition in ESL One, fans will likely be surprised by the fact that the “1” in their 8-1 record actually comes from the unheralded Chicken Fighters. The team led by Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev kicked off the series with a surprisingly strong win.
Despite Team Secret’s rotations around the map, Chicken Fighters managed to play its own game and get the better of team fights from start to finish. Team Secret did not let the loss shake its confidence, as the team came back stronger in the second and third games to take a 2-1 win.
There are still a few games left in the group stage, but the hardest part of the group is already done. Team Spirit, Alliance, and Team Unique will complete Team Secret’s run in the group stage, with Secret likely to be an overwhelming betting favorite over Unique and Spirit. Alliance’s talented roster should be more tricky, but the team has undergone recent roster changes that make the already difficult matchup feel almost impossible.
Meanwhile, Virtus.pro is leading Group A with an impressive 5-0 score.
Nina Forneloza
About Nina Forneloza
Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.
View full profile
Read Also
Dota 2
ESIC hand down ruling in EWC Dota match-fixing case: Lifetime ban for coach as DarkMago gets a nickel
Michael Hassall
South American Dota 2 player Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera will be banned for five years from competitive Dota 2, with his coach Juan "Vintage" Angulo banned permanently, following the results of an The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) investigation. ESIC handed down the findings and rulings from its investigation into match-fixing allegations leveled at members of South American Dota 2 team PlayTime during the Esports World Cup on Sep. 10, in a ...
News
Polystrike Turns a Dota 2 Mod Into a Standalone Tactical Shooter
Hannan Mundia
After the community-made mod found success within the community, developer and publisher Robin Entertainment has decided to turn Polystrike into a proper standalone game. Community-made mods of games finding success within the respective game’s community is nothing new. However, only a handful of those mods are able to go on and become a standalone game. One of the more recent examples is The Forgotten City, which started as a mod ...
Dota 2
Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions
Michael Hassall
Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions
Michael Hassall
The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...
Dota 2
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title
Michael Hassall
The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions
Michael Hassall
The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
