Team Secret new roster: w33 and MiSeRy replaced with Arteezy and UNiVeRsE

News of the Team Secret new roster has once again shaken the Dota 2 scene. Omar “w33” Aliwi and Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen have been replaced with Artour “Arteezy” Babaev and Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora, both from Evil Geniuses, four days before the rosters become locked for the Manila Major and The International 6. Evil Geniuses have not released any information on the status of their team, but rumors point to further changes for the NA team as well.

We are delighted to announce that @Arteezy & @UniverseDota are joining Team Secret! https://t.co/M1vSEpQtWZ

— Team Secret (@teamsecret) March 23, 2016

Team Secret new roster news has created a commotion across the Dota 2 community for the second time since their inception.

Earlier this morning it was revealed that Omar “w33” Aliwi and Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen were released by Team Secret only four days before the rosters become locked for the Manila Major and The International 6. Team Secret won the Shanghai Major less than three weeks ago and were not expected to make any roster changes in this transfer window.

The changes have created upheaval across the board, both as Artour “Arteezy” Babaev and Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora have parted ways with The International 5 champions, Evil Geniuses, in order to assume positions in Team Secret.

Unnamed sources have told Fragbite that there will be additional changes to the North American roster. Evil Geniuses have not confirmed the rumors and have yet to release any clarification statements.

Team Secret new roster history

This is not the first time that Team Secret has created such a stir with their unconventional moves.

Team Secret’s original formation

Team Secret, at ESL One New York, in October 2014. Credits: Helena Kristiansson/ ESL

Team Secret was formed during the summer months of August 2014. The roster included both Johan “BigDaddy” Sundstein and Tal “Fly” Aizik playing together alongside Puppey, Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi and Gustav “s4” Magnusson.

In a whirlwind of impressive performances, the quickly rising group would continue to make their presence known, seizing three consecutive championship titles in major/premier tournaments – Red Bull Battle Grounds, The Summit 3 and MDL 2015.

The zai and Arteezy era

Team Secret at Red Bull Battle Grounds 2015. © Red Bull eSports

Then suddenly, as unpredictable as they were, a shocking move would shake the Western region Tier 1 teams. Team Secret changed their roster, plucking both Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev from Evil Geniuses. The ripple effect was tremendous. They had set off a large scale Western reshuffle and spurred heavy judgment from the community. It was just another demonstration of the unconventional modus operandi – the sap that seems to give Team Secret their nearly axiomatic vigor.

Team Secret revamped

With touch and go performances over the next few months – championship titles at ESL One New York, 5th-6th at DotaPit League Season 3 and 7th-8th place at The International 5 – Team Secret’s roster was completely revamped in August, and rebuilt around Clement “Puppey” Ivanov.

Team Secret announced a new roster comprised of known players: Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao, Omar “w33” Aliwi, Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and Johan “pieliedie” Åström.

Team Secret’s recent performances

Team Secret had an incredible strong start post-TI5, with their revamped roster. Taking second in their debut tournament at ESL One New York, the Europeans then took possession of two consecutive LAN championship titles and the runner-up token for The Frankfurt Major.

Many criticized the team as of late due to some inconsistent results and performances. Team Secret took a surprising 9th place at the WCA 2015 LAN and 5th/6th place in the StarLadder i-League playoffs. They made a surprising early exit at MDL Winter 2015 after being eliminated by Newbee in the first round of the Lower Brackets.

However, under the guidance and leadership of captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov the team has thrived once again. They were able to outplay, outdraft and outmaneuver some of the best teams in the world to claim their championship title for the Shanghai Major.

Most recently the team had a surprising early exit from DotaPit season 4 LAN, when they were eliminated by Na’Vi, 1:2, in the first round, placing 5th-8th.

Team Secret new roster:

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov
Jacky “Eternal Envy” Mao
Johan “pieliedie” Åström
Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora
Artour “Arteezy” Babaev