Cover-Credits:
After taking down Team Secret 2-1 in a tiebreaker, Entity has become the fourth and final team from the Western Europe (WEU) Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 Tour 3: Division 1 to secure a spot at the PGL Arlington Major 2022. All three games in the series were action-packed, featuring constant back and forth and clutch moments. Entity managed to hold its own at the most crucial moments and clinched the series victory to make it to its first ever Major. As a result of this heartbreaking loss, Secret will not only miss out on the last Major of the DPC 2021-22, but they will also have to go through the grueling regional qualifier in order to qualify for TI11.
Team Secret vs Entity: Match recap and highlights
Recap
In game 1, Entity chose heroes that strongly opposed Nisha's first pick Puck. Overall, both teams had steady drafts, with Entity being much more single target focused and Secret having the upper hand in teamfights. Secret, as it turned out, maneuvered really well throughout the map in order to find consistent kills in the first 20 minutes. Both teams played very cautiously in the middle stages, with only three kills registered between 25 and 40 minutes. Secret was much more efficient during this time since it had established a huge lead. It all came down to better execution in teamfights after 40 minutes, and while Entity won one, Secret won most of them. Zayac had an outstanding game on Phoenix, helping his team to a 52 minute victory.
In game 2, both teams were significantly more engaged. Both midlaners had a solid start and were vital in their teams' netting kills. However, while Crystallis and iceiceice were not having the greatest of games, Entity's other cores were able to maintain themselves up on the networth chart. Furthermore, Kataomi, on his position four Zeus, dealt massive damage with a lot of items. Still, both teams had a chance to win, but Entity's teamfight potential was superior, allowing the team to win in 48 minutes.
In game 3, a carry Necrophos for Entity meant that its draft overall featured a lot of magic damage. Nisha, on the other hand, did not have the best time on mid Tiny for the first time in many games, despite a good start. Entity heavily attacked both Nisha and Crystallis, gaining an 8k advantage after 22 minutes. But Secret did well not to let this lead from skyrocketing, sometimes picking out Entity's cores who were out of position. However, Entity was able to maintain its composure and eventually defeat Secret in 47 minutes with the significant lead it had.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
It is certain that the players of Entity are delighted with this victory as it grants them the chance to compete in their first-ever Dota 2 Major. With each passing Tour, they have improved and gained their due this Tour as they showcased new levels of drafting with the addition of Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko and leveraged that in several games to win. It is likely that even winning the Major will not guarantee Entity a direct invite to TI11, so the team will be looking forward to the experience and learning it will get there.
Secret's lack of success in the DPC 2021-22 appears to have influenced the way it played in the second half of this Tour 3, as it focused heavily on Micha "Nisha" Jankowski, letting him be the true carry. While he was able to win the previous two series by himself, it wasn't meant to be today, despite the fact that Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang performed really well today. The loss today will also be a hard pill to swallow for Remco "Crystallis" Arets since the team he left for Secret has now denied him the opportunity to compete in his first Dota 2 Major.
Having been at the helm of a consistent Team Secret squad for many years, Clement "Puppey" Ivanov's inability to secure a Major slot for the second time this season is a major setback. Even in Tour 1, Secret was unable to finish in the top four. Having attended every single TI, Puppey’s path to making 11 TIs in a row looks challenging with only the regional and last chance qualifier remaining.
As it stands, it will be Tundra Esports, OG, Team Liquid, and Entity representing WEU at the PGL Arlington Major.
