End of an Era: Puppey to Miss TI for the First Time in his Dota 2 Career

The only remaining The International (TI) all-timer Clement “Puppey” Ivanov has failed to hold on to his streak as Team Secret was ousted from TI12's Western Europe (WEU) qualifier by Quest Esports. Secret started strong in the first game but lost due to a couple of unexpected teamfight losses despite being far ahead in kills. Despite recovering strongly in the second game, it lost the third one after being outdrafted. With 11 TIs behind him, Puppey shared his thoughts on a difficult year on Twitter, stating "maybe it was finally time to lose it. No regrets, life always changes. Peace." On the other hand, Quest moved on to the lower bracket final where it defeated Luna Galaxy to qualify for TI12.

Team Secret vs Quest Esports: Match recap and highlights

Recap

In game 1, both sides chose high damage heroes but it was Secret who made the most of it by picking off heroes early on. The offlane struggled for Quest as Tobi was killed three times in the first seven minutes. However, Secret was unable to capitalize on its slight networth advantage as Quest played the map to perfection, prioritizing farm for its two cores. It came down to late-game teamfighting, as Quest outplayed Secret and built up a big lead in a matter of minutes, allowing it to rapidly take down opposing objectives with a Luna carry and win in 54 minutes.

In game 2, Armel went berserk on mid Ember Spirit, ending with a 19-1-8 KDA. He moved about with the help of his supports to find kills, allowing his offlaner and carry to farm. With the space open and all Secret heroes well ahead, Fbz on Brew Master even chose Hand of Midas and Radiance. Quest’s draft was not the best at playing from behind and was kited in teamfights as Secret cruised to a 39-minute victory.

In game 3, with only five kills in the first 15 minutes, things proceeded slowly. Quest’s draft was better this game as it had better teamfight heroes. Crystallis' Drow Ranger was targeted in the teamfights, with all Quest cores - Pangolier, Sven, and Brew Master - rushing into her, while Fbz was shut down by the support combo of Rubick and Oracle. Secret's downhill spiral began as soon as teamfighting began, and Quest recorded a comprehensive win after 37 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

Puppey fans had hoped that after winning the first edition and having various finishes over the years, including finishing 5th-6th at TI8, 4th at TI9, third at TI10, and 2nd at TI11, the 12th edition of Dota 2's most prestigious event would complete a satisfying full circle for him. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The player carried the legacy for so long, qualifying for 11 TIs in a row, but now that there are no more all-timers, it serves as a poignant reminder of Dota 2's transition into its second generation.

Meanwhile, Quest and Entity are the two teams that qualify from the WEU qualifier for TI12.