Cover-Credits:
The second series of the day determined the first Grand Finalists for tomorrow at ESL One Malaysia 2022, as the resurging Team Secret faced off against Team Aster in the Winner Bracket Finals. The series ended in a 2-0 stomp as Team Aster will be the first team to reach the Grand Finals of the tournament.
Following the win, Team Aster are guaranteed a top two finish. Team Secret on the other hand, will have another chance as they drop down to the Lower Bracket Finals and will play against the winner of the Fnatic vs OG series tomorrow.
Secret vs Team Aster: Match Recap
Having recently finished in the top three of the PGL Arlington Major, Team Aster appeared to be in better shape going into the match. Team Secret on the other hand, had a double roster change as Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok and Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov joined the team following the conclusion of the Dota Pro Circuit 2021-22 season.
Secret vs Team Aster - Game One
Team Aster opened the draft with a triple core lineup of Storm Spirit, Enigma and Luna, giving them a perfect balance on both tower push and teamfight initiation, while Secret drafted a combo lineup of Earthshaker and Monkey King, followed by a Batrider and Ember Spirit pickup.
While both teams had a relatively good early game, Team Aster dominated the game in the later stages as Du "Monet" Peng's Luna and Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang's Storm Spirit both dominated Team Spirit's heroes as they closed the game at 30 minutes.
Secret vs Team Aster - Game Two
Game two was more one-sided, as Aster picked up Phantom Assassin for Monet and Puck for Ori while Secret decided to counter Aster's draft with a Terrorblade, Kunkka and Enigma as its core lineup.
While Team Secret had a great early game thanks to Clement "Puppey" Ivanov's heroics on the Crystal Maiden, it was not enough to stop Team Aster's dominance as Monet ran over Team Secret's draft, having a KDA of 16/2/9 while also gaining a double rampage in the game before Secret called the game in the 40th minute mark as Team Aster secured a 2-0 win over Secret.
Following the win, Team Aster are guaranteed a top two finish, as they will be the first Grand Finalists of the tournament. Team Secret on the other hand, will have a last chance as they will be dropped into the Lower Bracket Finals and will play against the winner of the Fnatic vs OG series tomorrow.
