Clement 'Puppey' Ivanov and Team Secret boast a prolific history in Dota 2, but one might wonder if it has now been left behind in the past.
Clement 'Puppey' Ivanov and Dota 2 success. Name a more prominent duo — through 2022. Today that is a different, and melancholy, story. In 2023 and 2024 fans might be hesitant to even list Puppey or Team Secret as Tier 1. Like Puppey's most notable and notorious counterpart, Kuro 'KuroKy-' Salehi Takhasomi with Nigma Galaxy, the Estonian player and his team seem to be a thing of the past, an archaic variant of truth of Dota 2 fame.
Puppey Power
Puppey's first four years of gaming were mainly playing in various teams and compositions with some accomplishments. It wasn’t until June of 2011 that Clement would find himself a home on NAVI, where he would be a stable and prominent key player for the next three years. For The International 1, the team got an invite after having received the beta keys to play the game only three weeks before. NAVI went undefeated throughout the whole tournament, winning the unprecedented $1,000,000 grand prize. Puppey’s professionalism and talent landed him the captain role for the team and led them to runner-up in the following two years at TI2 and TI3.
Secret to Success
TI4 was different though and the iconic Ukrainian team took a disappointing 7-8th place. It was just after this that Clement formed Team Secret.
Team Secret had made a tremendous splash onto the Dota 2 landscape when they appeared. Kicking arse and taking names the team destroyed their opponents and easily became one of the utter favorites to win TI5. Some internal problems would create an upset, thrusting the team into some disarray with a 7-8th place finish. Following TI5, months rife with drama, conflict, and instability leading to TI6 saw the team’s low point with a 13-16th finish.
For Puppey, this was just a matter of retooling the lineup and strategy. With a rocky start laden with much instability, Team Secret’s year leading to TI7 had been rough, but later in the season, the team seemed to have found a rhythm that hinted at success – giving Puppey a promising chance at making a second claim to The International trophy. Instead, it ended with a disappointing 9-12th place finish.
As the years passed, Puppey continued to renovate and restore his legacy, inching closer and closer to the podium — top 6 at TI8, top 4 at TI9, and top 3 at TI10.
TI11 marked Clement's eleventh consecutive presence at The International, continuing his unmatched legacy in the game. The year 2022 has been one of the most challenging years in Team Secret’s existence, Puppey struggled to navigate the DPC year. The Last Chance Qualifiers were truly the only way for Secret to secure a spot at TI11, and despite the bumpy year, once the time came, the reinforced roster, with Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok joining mere weeks before the big battle, made a strong upper bracket run.
Team Secret claimed their spot at TI11 with a commendable victory over Virtus.pro in the LCQ upper bracket finals — and ultimately took 2nd place at The International 2022.
A thing of the past
From runners-up at TI11, Team Secret took a downturn right from the start of the new competitive season. Few would have predicted Team Secret's fall from grace in the first tour of the 2023 DPC season, but the team had more difficulties gelling with Miroslav “BOOM” Bičan replacing Michal “Nisha” Jankowski.
The team headed to Division II for the DPC 2022-23 Spring Tour. No roster adjustment yielded the result Puppey was looking for.
The International 2023 (TI12) could have marked Puppey’s twelfth consecutive appearance on the TI stage. Instead, it was the first he missed, and ultimately when his success and legacy were laid to rest.
With the Dota Pro Circuit discontinued by Valve, this year's competitive season might be a return to the Wild West days before the DPCs with it being anybody's guess on how The International 2024 invites will be awarded. But so far, if results at LANs are anything to judge by, things are not looking to be in their favor.
Immediately following TI2023, Team Secret took a disappointing 7-8th place finish at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.
They then failed to qualify for BetBoom Dacha 2024, took a dismal 11-12th place finish at DreamLeague Season 22, an even worse placement of 17-19th at Elite League just this last week, and failed to qualify for ESL One Birmingham 2024 and DreamLeague Season 23 — despite yet another roster change.
All that remains is PGL Wallachia in May which they received an invitation for, the last ESL LAN in Asia, and Riyadh Masters in July.
A Cinderella story or redemption Arc before the invitations are sent in the mail is moving further and further away but a hot streak at the biggest events at the end of the season could happen and change their entire fate.
And there is always a ‘last chance’ with The International 2024 qualifiers.
