Team Secret’s Clement “Puppey” Ivanov made a great play call only to have the enemy team do him one better.
Sometimes, despite a team’s best efforts to win, the esports gods have other ideas. It was that kind of day for Team Secret during the StarLadder Season 3 group stage when, even after outplaying opponents TNC Pro Team for most of a three game series, victory was not forthcoming. A play during the second game proved to be a perfect example of that when Keeper of the Light, an old dude on a white horse, pushed TNC off a key objective with a glowing wave of bad-ass sorcery.
Everyone’s favorite underdogs from the Philippines were attempting to secure a kill on Roshan, one of Dota 2's AI-controlled mega monsters that bestows a free, extra-life upon whoever can kill it. Their plans disrupted by Team Secret’s captain, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, TNC was forced out of the Roshan pit and retreated into the woods.
But Marc Polo “Raven” Luis Fausto had other ideas. Playing a blue cockroach looking creature called Weaver, TNC’s position one kept one eye on Roshan in case there was time for him to nab the Aegis it drops before Team Secret could. If he tried and failed, it could have been a free kill for the enemy team, but he didn’t, instead snatching the trophy right out from under the nose of Team Secret and a lumbering bear played by Pyo “MP” No-a.
This is what it looks like when someone in Dota 2 commits a boss play only to have it rebound in their face.
It was the equivalent of catching an interception in the third quarter only to fumble it back to the other team ten yards later. While Team Secret eventually went on too win the match, they couldn’t win the series, getting knocked out during the group stage along with other Dota 2 heavyweights Wings Gaming and Digital Chaos. They had top talent but apparently not enough guts to win the day. Instead, it’ll be TNC who goes to to the semifinals to face Team Liquid while Team Secret licks its wounds from the sidelines. Poor Puppey. Or maybe it’s just karma.
You can watch the rest of the matches from the conclusion of StarLadder Season 3 here.