Secret perfect in ESL One LA, despite MATUMBAMAN Rapier fail

Nina Forneloza Published 13/04/2020

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.

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