Team Secret sweep TSM to maintain Group B lead at TI11 Group Stage
Despite coming from the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), Team Secret have been looking as one of the strongest teams in The International 11 (TI11) Group Stage, after they swept North America's TSM 2-0 and got in the running for the top seed of Group B.
After Day 1 of the Group Stage, Secret had a 3-1 record while TSM had a 2-2 standing. A solid performance on Day 2 would put both squads in position to secure an upper bracket berth in the Main Event.
Secret began Day 2 with a 1-1 draw with Fnatic while TSM got swept by Team Aster. The result of the Secret-TSM match would therefore be pivotal in deciding the fates of both squads in the Group Stage.
Secret went for utility supports in game one, a Crystal Maiden for Clement "Puppey" Ivanov and Nyx Assassin for Bakyt "Zayac" Emilzhanov.
Most of the team's damage would come from Michał "Nisha" Jankowski's Sniper and Remco "Crystallis" Arets' Shadow Fiend.
Surprisingly, despite most of Secret's heroes being ranged, TSM went for four ranged heroes themselves as well as an Earthshaker for David "MoonMeander" Tan.
If TSM managed to get to late game, their ranged heroes along with Enzo "Timado" O'Connor's Drow Ranger would be a terrifying yet fragile lineup.
The laning stage went well for Secret, as their Crystal Maiden-Dawnbreaker duo became a huge headache to deal with early on. Visage is a weak hero prior to level six and Secret abused that weakness to punish Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek multiple times.
TSM needed time to get online. It was hard for MoonMeander to engage without Blink Dagger, especially on a lineup full of ranged heroes.
Secret had the same issue as well, which resulted in mid-game teamfights mostly involving the two teams poking at each other.
But, it was Secret who were able to play their draft a little better. Winning the laning stage shut down the Zoo strategy that TSM wanted to execute, and that allowed Secret to control the pace of the game and out-farm their opponents.
One person who deserved MVP in game one was Zayac, as he would walk into the enemy lineup and stun multiple heroes with Spiked Carapace. TSM had to be wary the entire game of the control coming out from Nyx Assassin.
The game-winning fight for Secret happened 33-minutes in, as despite TSM's near-perfect initiation, Secret still came out ahead and took the game six minutes later.
Secret pick three of the same heroes for game two
The LCQ winners adopted an "if-it-isn't-broken-don't-fix-it" approach in game two.
Secret went for three of the same heroes: Puppey's Crystal Maiden, Dawnbreaker for Crystallis, and Zayac's Nyx Assassin. The interesting hero pick was the offlane Mirana for Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok.
TSM had a more active lineup in game two, giving MoonMeander Monkey King and Saberlight Broodmother.
There was a lot of vision advantage for TSM due to Monkey King's Tree Dance, the summons from Chen and Broodmother, and Shrapnel from Jonathan "Bryle" De Guia's Sniper.
Unlike game one, in which Nisha dominated the mid matchup, it was a more even laning phase, which allowed Bryle to get online and fight for his team, giving TSM a much better shot in game two.
TSM's draft was focused on using Broodmother to push out one lane and make space for the rest of the team.
However, this was perfectly countered by Dawnbreaker, as Crystallise would use his ulti to aid his team and then quickly teleport back to the lane and defend buildings from the Broodmother.
Secret had six kills in the first 15 minutes with no retribution from TSM.
But due to a more even laning phase, TSM managed to interrupt a Roshan attempt and secure three kills for themselves as well as the Aegis for Timado.
That said, TSM weren't able to utilise the Aegis to take control of the map and tried to split push instead. This was reminiscent of game one, as regardless of the networth between the two teams, Secret played the map better throughout the series.
Secret claimed the second Aegis, and they used it perfectly to secure a pivotal teamfight. Nisha blinked into TSM after respawning, catching them completely unaware and giving Secret a massive lead that led to their victory in game two.
With their 2-0 victory over TSM, Secret improved their record to 6-2, which put them in a tie with Team Aster for first place in Group B. The LCQ winner will look to further improve their record as they take on Tundra Esports in their last match of the day.
Meanwhile, TSM fall to 2-6, putting them in a three-way tie with Beastcoast and Talon Esports for last place in their group.
They need to get some wins to avoid getting eliminated after the Group Stage, and will next face TI10 champions Team Spirit in their last match of the day.
TI11 will be hosted in Singapore from 15 to 30 October and features a revamped format and a longer schedule.
The tournament will begin with a Group Stage from 15 to 18 October, where 20 teams will fight to become among the 16 squads to advance to the Main Event.
TI11's Main Event will be a double-elimination bracket and is split into two phases, the first being held from 20 to 23 October while the second will take place from 29 to 30 October.
For everything you need to know about TI11, check here.
Team Secret roster:
Remco "Crystallis" Arets
Michał "Nisha" Jankowski
Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok
Bakyt "Zayac" Emilzhanov
Clement "Puppey" Ivanov
TSM roster:
Enzo "Timado" O'Connor
Jonathan "Bryle" De Guia
Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek
David "MoonMeander" Tan
Kim "DuBu" Doo-young
Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.
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