Cover-Credits:
In the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 Tour 3: Division 1 of the Western Europe (WEU), Team Secret prevailed over goonsquad to keep its hopes of making the PGL Arlington Dota 2 Major alive. The midlaner Michał "Nisha" Jankowski, who has been in phenomenal form of late, drove Secret's victory in game one and game two by going berserk on Templar Assassin and Puck respectively. Although goonsquad had chances to win both games, Nisha proved to be a thorn in its side, particularly in the second game. While it is still possible for Secret to claim a spot at the Major, goonsquad has now been pushed closer to Division 2 relegation as a result of this series loss.
Team Secret vs goonsquad: Match recap and highlights
Recap
In game 1, goonsquad dominated the laning stage, slaying Crystallis' Monkey King twice and Nisha's Templar Assassin in the first 13 minutes. This placed the side ahead early on, but the failure to maintain the aggression meant that the networth lead stayed stagnant at 3k. Despite the fatalities, Nisha excelled at farming the map and rose to the top of the networth chart. It then only took Secret one teamfight victory to turn the game in its favor. With superior teamfight performance, the team spiraled out of control, and goonsquad, who had appeared to be ahead in the game, was overrun rather quickly, losing in 36 minutes.
In Game 2, Secret minimized its casualties early on while gaining kills against the opposing heroes. However, goonsquad recovered following the laning stage and won a spectacular teamfight despite Crystallis' Aegis of the Immortal. Goonsquad could kill heroes, but Nisha's Puck became stronger by farming and scoring consistent kills. He pushed his limits, and goonsquad, who was focused more on Crystallis throughout teamfights, struggled to take him down. Nisha died once, when Secret was hitting goonsquad's Ancient, and finished the 45-minute game with a splendid 15-1-13 KDA.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
For the second time in a row, Nisha has proven to be such a valuable asset for Secret, seemingly winning games by himself. While the team helped him with buffs and heals in the first game today, the second was simply a display of immaculate play. While finding kills, stealing Runes, and breaking Smokes, he was giggling, demonstrating how confident he is. The trust Secret has put in Nisha with drafts and gameplay is evident, and he seems to be doing really well.
Secret is now tied with Entity with a 4-3 win-loss record. If Liquid loses its last series vs OG, a three-way Bo1 tie for two Major slots will be forced, but if it wins, it will directly qualify for the Major. In such a situation, Secret and Entity will have to compete in a Bo3 tiebreaker series to determine the last WEU team to qualify for the Major.
Despite appearing to be competitive in various games throughout the Tour, goonsquad finishes with a meager 2-5 win-loss record. In order to have a chance at retaining its Division 1 slot, it will require Gaimin Gladiators to lose its last series to Tundra Esports which will force a Bo3 tiebreaker. However, if Gladiators wins, goonsquad will be demoted to Division 2.
