Two more weeks are left before Tour 3 of the current Dota 2 competitive season ends. In Western Europe, Team Secret is in danger of being sent to Division II. Making things worse for the team is Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat taking a break from the competition.
On Twitter, Team Secret revealed YapzOr is taking an “extended break” due to health reasons, and no additional details were revealed. However, considering that Valve allowed this roster change means that whatever it is, the condition is serious enough to warrant such a break.
Team Secret also revealed that Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov is replacing YapzOr. Hailing from Kyrgyzstan, Zayac has been in the Dota 2 competitive scene since 2015. He was part of the Natus Vincere roster, which participated at The International 2019. Zayac had played for other teams like Virtus.pro and Vega Squadron as well.
While it’s good news that Secret was able to find a replacement for YapzOr, it’s not going to be that easy. After all, YapzOr has been with the team since 2017 and is one of its foundations.
This is not to say that Zayac isn’t a good player. Instead, he has his work cut out for him. With two games left in Tour 3, Secret needs to win or start in Division II for next season.
Veterans Retire
On the other side of the ocean, Canadian Dota 2 player Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao announced his retirement from the competitive scene. It wasn’t really a surprise for many, especially when he revealed in October 2021 that he was taking a break.
In the esports scene, EternaLEnVy has been known mainly for his high-risk and high-reward plays. However, on the community side, some of the fans would prefer he retire considering how he had treated some of his former teams.
Who could forget that thing in 2020 when he left Fighting PandaS just two weeks away from the Kyiv Minor. Then again, not that surprising considering that throughout his 10-year career, he has been part of more than 15 teams.
It’s worth noting that he only specified that he’s retiring from the competitive scene, so there’s still a possibility that he may stream his games.
Another NA veteran who retired is Eric “Ryoya” Dong. In his case, he said that: "Retired dota, no longer have the same enjoyment I used to have playing." He also had a long career, with his last team being TOOBASED.
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