The rumors have proven to be true as Syed “SumaiL” Hassan is officially being tabbed as the new mid laner for Team Secret.
The organization confirmed the news in its latest short comic, which has been used to reveal the new lineup and position shuffles that will take effect next season. With the addition of SumaiL, Team Secret’s lineup for next season will be:
Though he officially joins Team Secret to replace departing carry Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen, SumaiL will be playing as Team Secret mid laner. SumaiL is best known as the longtime mid laner for Evil Geniuses, a run which saw him win The International 2015 as a teenager. But since splitting from Evil Geniuses in 2019, SumaiL has mostly played as a carry. He debuted in the position with Quincy Crew in 2019 but didn’t seem to fully settle into it until 2021 during stints with Team Liquid and OG.
Nisha established himself as one of the best mids in the world in 2020, but has spent the majority of his career as a carry. He rose to prominence on the all-Polish Team Kinguin lineup in the carry role before pivoting to the mid lane after the release of Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng by Secret. It is unclear if this will be a rigid positional change or if Nisha and SumaiL may situationally swap roles depending on the matchup.
The reveal of SumaiL joining Team Secret was preceded by the announcement that iceiceice will be the team’s new offlaner. iceiceice joins after departing Evil Geniuses after one season of play, which culminated in a disappointing finish at The International 2021.
Puppey has historically been able to attract top-tier players to Team Secret and that hasn’t changed now. Though Secret is set to undergo some big changes despite a strong third-place finish in The International 2021, it’s very likely that this new roster will be able to achieve some serious success as well.
Each of the five players have enjoyed serious success individually, and Puppey has proven himself capable of making these sorts of all-star teams work in the past. There is some cause for concern with Nisha moving back to the carry role and whether he can coexist with SumaiL, but odds are that Secret will be a contender at the first major of the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit season.
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