Team Secret dominated VP.Prodigy 3 – 0 in the final series to win the WePlay! Pushka League. Their performance was masterful, with three one-sided victories against a spirited underdog.
Game 1: Team Secret dominate
The first game was the closest, although it wasn’t that close at all. It lasted 45 minutes and had a kill count of 34 to 19. But Team Secret secured the net worth and experience advantage early on and never let it go, riding that momentum into an inevitable win. Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainenen put on a stellar performance, with 12 kills, 19 assists and only five deaths on Ember Spirit. But Ludwig “Zai” Wahlberg, Michal “Nisha” Jankowski and Yazied “Yapz0r” Jaradat were on fire too, with 20 kills, 57 assists and a mere seven deaths between them.
Game 2: Team Secret dominate again, this time in style
The second game ended as quickly as it started. It lasted no more than 18 minutes, with a one-sided kill count of 19 to 3. Nisha was the standout player on Queen of Pain, with 9 kills, 3 assists and one death. It was an incredible team effort, though, with everyone playing their part in one of the most dominant performances on the professional scene in recent history.
This clip is an example of the tempo and precision Team Secret had in the second game:
Game 3: Team Secret close it out in a clean-sweep
The third game was a little closer and more reminiscent of the first game. But it was still one-sided as hell and lasted only 25 minutes. Once again, Team Secret secured the net-worth and experience advantage right out of the gate. They snowballed into victory, with a kill count of 35 to 15. MATUMBAMAN was back at his best, with 13 kills, 12 assists and 2 deaths on Troll Warlord. Zai, Nisha and Yapzor weren’t too far behind. But Clement “Puppey” Ivanov deserves a special mention for his phenomenal performance on Chen. He racked up 3 kills and 23 assists throughout the game, while only dying 3 times himself. What more could you ask from a hard support player?
Here’s another clip showing how Team Secret pressured VP.Prodigy into a less than ideal fight, and then capitalized on it with their amazing skill and coordination:
A summary and what lies ahead
Team Secret dominated the entire tournament. They went 11 – 3 in the group stage, which is impressive in its own right. But they never dropped a game after that, beating Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, and VP.Prodigy twice in the playoffs. It would have been hard for anyone to beat them, let alone an underdog like VP.Prodigy. But they can leave with their heads held high after a fantastic tournament and a well-deserved second-place finish.
Team Secret earned $70,000 and another title, while VP.Prodigy pocketed a handy $45,000 for their efforts. It’s not too bad for an online tournament, which is all we’ll be seeing for a while due to the coronavirus pandemic. Team Liquid and Virtus.Pro finished in third and fourth place, netting them $30,000 and $20,000.
Unfortunately, WePlay! Pushka League has come to an end. But more professional Dota 2 is around the corner. The next tournament, OGA Dota PIT 2020 Online, starts tomorrow. And it features all the best teams in Europe and China, including Team Secret, who have proven themselves to be the best team right now after a less than impressive run last tournament.
