Banner image: Ubisoft / Joao Ferreira
Team Secret today announced the signing of former FURIA Esports coach Marlon "Twister" Mello as their new coach, and Dawid "Gruby" Marciniak and Reece "ASTRO" Lambert as replacements for Szymon "Saves" Kamieniak and Keenan "Keenan" Dunne.
The former Viperio 86 duo will be making its professional debut this Monday against Team BDS, while the former FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Black Dragons coach will take the spot left by William "Titan" Antonio, who parted ways with Secret in August.
ASTRO most notably overcame a significant personal hurdle -- a lymphoma diagnosis -- and has done well to fight it off to finally become set to make his tier-one debut. The British player previously was also on Gamma Gaming, with whom he won the Benelux Cup twice and Season 6 of the Benelux League.
With Gruby, on Viperio 86, he also won the first EU Challenger League Qualifier this year.
Twister is one of the most experienced coaches in the Siege scene. His international debut came under Black Dragons, as he coached the team at the Pro League Y2S3 Finals and the Six Invitational 2018. After the team's results, Ninjas in Pyjamas picked up the roster, allowing Twister to coach the team in 2018's DreamHack Valencia and the Six Major Paris.
After the conclusion of Season 8 of the Pro League, Twister joined FaZe Clan. He coached the roster at the Six Invitational 2019, DreamHack Valencia 2019, Six Major Raleigh, DreamHack Montreal, Season 10 Pro League Finals, and Six Invitational 2020.
A full year coaching FaZe Clan in Brazil and a great among of international stages, Twister was signed by FURIA Esports. Despite spending a full season fighting to avoid relegation, Twister's side qualified for the Six Invitational 2021. FURIA emerged as one of the most consistent teams in the region, qualifying for every international event possible -- a streak that is still to be broken.
The Charlotte Major was Twister's last tournament under FURIA Esports, as the team decided to part ways with him heading into the following season.
After three months as an Assistant Coach and mentor for ALPHA Team, Twister has now signed for Team Secret.
Team Secret have spent most of the season at the bottom of the standings, finishing the first two European League stages in ninth just above PWNZ. With zero Six Invitational Points to the team's name, this means Secret can no longer qualify for the Six Invitational 2023 through the Global Standings.
Despite the situation being critical, bringing a profile like Twister now might be the best decision possible. Avoiding relegation and trying to qualify for the Six Invitational by winning Europe's regional qualifier are arguably the team's short-term objectives. Curiously, Twister did something similar with FURIA in 2020, as the team survived the relegation battle a month before qualifying for SI 2021.
It is also worth mentioning this is the first time a Brazilian coach has signed for a European League roster, as he follows the footsteps of Karl "Alem4o" Zarth, the first BR6 player to sign for a European team.