Team Secret steal the SA Thunder at TI11

After two eliminations on Day 3 of the playoffs, the Dota 2 esports action moved to the upper bracket. Two teams – Team Secret and Thunder Awaken – were up against each other in the upper bracket. At stake was a spot in the Upper bracket final, a top three TI placement confirmed.

Puppey is the only Dota 2 player to have attended all TIs, a feat that is commendable and inspirational in itself. Team Secret has steadily improved its ranking every year at TIs:

2017: 9-12th2018: 5-6th2019: 4th2021: 3rd

Will they reach the Grand Finals this year? Maybe go further and win TI?

They had to face Thunder Awaken in the upper bracket match today – the winner advances to the Top 3, while the loser goes down to the lower bracket.

ARE WE DOING IT

— Team Secret @ #TI11 (@teamsecret) October 22, 2022

Team Secret pick Drow to counter TA’s morph

Team Secret picked up the Leshrac for Nisha and he went crazy in a dominant mode. Leshrac is a hero that can deal immense amounts of damage but the hero often faces problems because it is viewed as squishy. If the hero can get free reign, Leshrac often dominates teamfights.

And Nisha did get free reign. Going 16-2, with a 747 GPM, Nisha’s performance in Game 1 sent shivers down the opponents’ backs.

Image Credit: Dota2TI

Thunder Awaken has a very aggressive playsytle, but Team Secret played a style that relied on countering the TA aggression. As a result, not only would Team Secret often save their cores from the South American aggression, they would even get a few more kills and win the teamfight.

Secret also had Drow Ranger, a hero that works excellently against TA’s Morphling. With Leshrac, Marci and Drow Ranger, Team Secret were farming all over the map. Meanwhile, TA’s performance relied heavily on the Morphling. Over time, Secret was able to kite Morphling around enough to isolate him and get the kills.

Thunder Awaken attempt to counter Secret’s draft

Team Secret qualified for TI11 via the Last Chance Qualifier.

The second game draft saw Thunder Awaken try to remove most of the comfort hero picks for Team Secret. That strategy, however, did not seem to have worked well for Thunder Awaken. The team’s focus on removing Team Secret’s comfort heroes meant they could not strengthen their own draft.

Team Secret’s draft allowed them to play in a variety of ways and for Thunder Awaken, they were always on the back foot. Team Secret always had the lead and as the game progressed, Team Secret extended their lead. Over time, even the supports started building core items, trying to deal with the TA Slark.

Ultimately, Team Secret won 2-0 and they are now qualified for top 3 at TI11. It is a momentuous task and Team Secret looks to be in exceptional form.