Title image courtesy of Starladder
In a show of absolute domination, the European superteam annihilated Virtus.pro in a 3:1 victory in the grand finals to claim their first DPC title of the season.
The final day of the Chongqing Major gave us some of, if not, the very best Dota 2 that has been played on the current patch. With the lower bracket finals and the grand finals series remaining, the top 3 teams battled it out with all they had to get that championship trophy. And they didn't disappoint.
Team Secret 2:0 Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses had a highly commendable run yesterday, eliminating both of the remaining Chinese teams from the Major, raising the discussion of whether this would be the first time for the team and the roster in its current iteration to win a Major, or at least reach the grand finals. Unfortunately, this was not so.
Team Secret were playing on the next level, as was further solidified with their performance in the grand finals. They relegated EG to their signature 3rd place spot with 2,100 DPC points and $100,000 in prize money to take away.
Team Secret 3:1 Virtus.pro
Game 1
Secret burst forth in full force in the first game of the series, showcasing newfound strategy and drafting they had learned in their previous series against Virtus.pro. They played aggressively right from the start, ending the game in just 21 minutes, never letting VP have a single change to gain an advantage. This was in large part due to Michał "Nisha" Jankowski's Phantom Lancer, who gave a flawless performance, ending with a 7-0-7 score.
Game 2
If the fans thought the first game was fast and short, nothing would prepare them for what they were about to witness in Game 2. Clement "Puppey" Ivanov's next level drafting won them the game before it even started. Picking a position 4 Luna and position 5 Sven, they had what looked like a 5-core lineup to the uninformed. Ending the game in an unbelievable 17 minutes, they sent the fans, panelists, and casters in utter shock at the sheer genius of the strategy.
Game 3
Virtus.pro were one game away from getting whitewashed in the major grand finals, a scenario where they were known to be a cut above the rest. It was a do or die situation for them, and the way the match turned out, they played their hearts out to keep their head above water. Unlike the first two games, Game 3 was an edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride. Secret's heavy push capability geared them forward in the early game, as they pushed down the bottom lane of barracks.
The rest of the game did not stay in their favor, however, as both teams overextended their opportunities and got punished for, swinging the net-worth disparity back and forth multiple times. Even after Virtus.pro gained a decisive lead at the 30-minute mark and destroyed two lanes of barracks on Secret's side, they still couldn't force a 'gg' out of them. However, Secret's lack of late-game power allowed Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev's unkillable Phantom Lancer to get his team on the board for the series.
Game 4
Although Team Secret lost the opportunity to 3-0 the DPC kings in the grand finals of a Major, they didn't let the previous loss affect them much. Confident in their captain's drafting, they went back to playing like they did in the first two games. This time, they also made sure they had late-game secured with the proper heroes. Snagging the IO for Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat, a hero VP would have very much liked for themselves, they used their global map access to their advantage.
Closing out the game in just over 31 minutes with a 30-11 score, Secret secured their spot at The International 2019, by mathematically securing enough DPC points. Pocketing $350,000 and 4,950 DPC Points, they are now tied with their biggest rivals, Virtus.pro, in 1st place of this season's rankings. VP bagged a respectable 3,000 DPC points and $170,000 to take home.
The DPC action continues as the Open Qualifiers for the DreamLeague Season 11 Minor are already underway. Check out our hub for all the news and coverage of the matches.
