Team Secret and Sentinels Meet in EWC 2026 Group Stage

Team Secret entered the EWC stage as the less familiar side, which made its meeting with Sentinels one of the opening day's genuine unknowns. Eddie, Bie, Dire, Hizto and Pun lined up opposite Impact, HamBak, DARKWINGS, Rahel and huhi. For Secret, this was a chance to introduce the roster on an international stage. For Sentinels, it was a match they could not afford to approach casually.

Sentinels had recently beaten Dignitas 2-0 before losing 3-0 to FlyQuest in the Spring Playoffs. A single game made that uncertainty more dangerous: there was no second draft to correct a bad read.

The two compositions wanted very different things. Sentinels took Lee Sin, Jhin, Rumble, Orianna and Blitzcrank, giving themselves several ways to force an isolated target into a fight. Team Secret answered with Ezreal, Karma, Ryze, Wukong and K'Sante, a lineup with mobility, range and enough durability to make a clean engage difficult.

Blitzcrank was the pick that changed the feel of the game before it began. One hook could blow the map open, but missed chances would give Ezreal and Karma room to play at distance. Team Secret also removed Caitlyn, Camille, Bard, Cassiopeia and Anivia, while Sentinels focused heavily on front-line and jungle options with Nautilus, Poppy, Vi, Xin Zhao and Jarvan IV.