“Life works in miraculous ways and you just have to sometimes go with the flow,” Resolution on joining Team Secret and TI11 success

Team Secret are one of the favorites at this TI. Can Puppey reach the Grand Finals this time?

After two eliminations on Day 3 of the playoffs, the Dota 2 esports action moved to the upper bracket. Two teams - Team Secret and Thunder Awaken - were up against each other in the upper bracket. At stake was a spot in the Upper bracket final, a top three TI placement confirmed.

A stellar performance by Team Secret saw them steal the Thunder from the South American hopefuls. Team Secret now advance to the Upper bracket finals, confirming a top three finish at TI11.

Resolut1on on Team Secret

At this point right now, I don't enjoy anything else in the world other than the game. So I'm going to be here for quite a while.

Resolut1on

In the post-match interview, Kaci asked Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok on how Team Secret were able to perform so well despite the relatively recent roster change.

"I think this team is very special to me. We have relly good chemistry from the start. As soon as I joined we hit top three in the Riyadh tournament. I halso have a good friend here in Zayac. I enjoy talking to him outside and inside the game. It makes it much easier for us to communicate our problems in laning."

He continued talking about his career and how his rather unexpected stint in Team Secret has been nothing short of a miraculous turn in his life.

"I'm super excited to be here. Finishing at least top three here is just living the dream. Half a year ago, I thought I was done with Dota and I'm not going to come back anymore. And here I am. Life works in miraculous ways and you just have to sometimes go with the flow."

Team Secret Resolut1on

After confirming a top three placement at TI11, Resolut1on has basically confirmed he is going to be playing Dota for quite some time.

"At this point right now, I don't enjoy anything else in the world other than the game. So I'm going to be here for quite a while."

A veteran in the Dota 2 scene, Resolut1on has been around since the early days of the game. He has played in different regions starting in EEU, moving to NA and now in WEU. There's no question about his individual skill, but his experience has also ensured an adaptability and a focus that allowed him to bond with Team Secret players this year. Resolut1on joined Team Secret in August, securing top 4 at Riyadh Masters and 3rd place at ESL One Malaysia. So far at TI11, Team Secret has already confirmed a top 3 finish with the potential to go further.

Speaking of experience, Team Secret also has the most experienced Dota 2 player on their roster. Puppey has appeared in all TIs till date and is the only player to have done so.

Team Secret vs Thunder Awaken

A Secret Drow pick to counter TA’s morph

Team Secret picked up the Leshrac for Nisha and he went crazy in a dominant mode. Leshrac is a hero that can deal immense amounts of damage but the hero often faces problems because it is viewed as squishy. If the hero can get free reign, Leshrac often dominates teamfights.

And Nisha did get free reign. Going 16-2, with a 747 GPM, Nisha’s performance in Game 1 sent shivers down the opponents’ backs.

Image Credit: Dota2TI

Thunder Awaken has a very aggressive playsytle, but Team Secret played a style that relied on countering the TA aggression. As a result, not only would Team Secret often save their cores from the South American aggression, they would even get a few more kills and win the teamfight.

Secret also had Drow Ranger, a hero that works excellently against TA’s Morphling. With Leshrac, Marci and Drow Ranger, Team Secret were farming all over the map. Meanwhile, TA’s performance relied heavily on the Morphling. Over time, Secret was able to kite Morphling around enough to isolate him and get the kills.

Thunder Awaken attempt to counter Secret's draft, but it doesn't work as intended

Team Secret qualified for TI11 via the Last Chance Qualifier in the Secret vs Thunder Awaken match.

The second game draft saw Thunder Awaken try to remove most of the comfort hero picks for Team Secret. That strategy, however, did not seem to have worked well for Thunder Awaken. The team’s focus on removing Team Secret’s comfort heroes meant they could not strengthen their own draft.

Team Secret's draft allowed them to play in a variety of ways and for Thunder Awaken, they were always on the back foot. Team Secret always had the lead and as the game progressed, Team Secret extended their lead. Over time, even the supports started building core items, trying to deal with the TA Slark.

Thunder Awaken often simply did not have enough damage to burst the Team Secret heroes. As the Secret vs Thunder Awaken game progressed, the gap between the two teams widened further, making it near impossible for TA to win teamfights.

Ultimately, Team Secret won 2-0 and they are now qualified for top 3 at TI11. It is a momentuous task and Team Secret looks to be in exceptional form.