posted by kipspul,
A two week rollercoaster full of top-notch Dota 2 action just came to an end. Team Secret have conquered all to grab the trophy and more than 1 million dollar in prize money! Liquid earned their rematch with Team Secret after disposing of Evil Geniuses in the lower-bracket final and bg Ivan 'MinD_ContRoL' Borislavov's Nature's Prophet in both games playing a crucial role. It was a 2-0 victory for Liquid who joined the bo5 Grand Final with no 1 game disadvantage. After the excitement of Day 3 of the Shanghai Major, the fifth and final day was all about the Dota.

Our very own Capitalist and Blitz were suited up and ready to rock the Mercedes Benz Arena.


The scene was set for a Secret masterclass.

An Eye for an Eye
The opening game was a confident win for eu Team Secret to put them in the lead in the Grand Finals of the Shanghai Major, and ca Jacky 'EternaLEnVy' Mao was Slark responsible for Liquid's towers and players falling. in Game 2 Liquid got themselves together, and Roshan was heavily contested with Secret playing Ursa and Liquid picking Lycanthrope.



bg Ivan 'MinD_ContRoL' Borislavov's Beastmaster made space for Liquid on the top lane, and the continious split push from Liquid forced Secret to seperate. ee Clement 'Puppey' Ivanov had a good game on Winter Wyvern forcing Liquid to fight when they wanted to hit and run, which kept Secret in the game. Liquid's persistent split push led to megacreeps after Secret had been lured out of their base giving a chance for Matumbaman Lycan and Mind_Control's Ursa to take out the buildings.



Game 3: The turning point
Liquid had an awkward start in game three, losing first blood and the courier in the first 3 minutes of the game. Their Tiny Wisp combo did not work out in the early game and the Disruptor's Glimpse and Kinetic Field along with Cold Snap led to a couple of early deaths for de Kuro S. 'KuroKy' Takhasomi's Wisp. Secret really put the pressure on while still allowing EternalEnvy's Clinkz and W33haa's Invoker time to farm.

Liquid got a break by patiently waiting for EnternalEnvy to go into their jungle, and the gamble paid off. Liquid had the fight of their dreams killing four of Secret in exchange for none, but the stroke of good fortune was short lived.

An insane teamfight turn-around by @teamliquidpro to stall the momentum of @teamsecret https://t.co/wuzNfAw69Phttps://t.co/fb58J7s3we— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) 6 March 2016


Secret were well aware of Liquid's strength as a 5-man and they avoided 5-on-5 engagements, not giving Liquid the chance to make use of Tidehunter's Ravage with Outworld Devourer's ultimate. Liquid were in a bad place and to come back from this would be quite the feat. Secret had invested in two Hand of Midas' meaning even if no engagements took place, Secret would still build an advantage. A lack of vision did not help Liquid and at 21 minutes they went for Roshan after a poor fight.

Liquid try to turn the tables after being battered and bruised by Secret


Liquid never really found a way back into the game, and by 10 minutes later four of Secret had Black King Bars, including Puppey's Doom. EternalEnvy was a nuisance for Liquid who could not keep him still to avoid him bursting down Wisp and Lion, and Lion was needed to give Liquid more control following Mind_Control's Ravage. That is assuming he managed to pull of Ravage, which was often not the case against Static Storm and Doom.

However, the star of the game was W33haa on Invoker who managed to win a 1 v 4 at the end of the game, taking out Liquid who came charging in one by one, and he had a chance to show off after a phenomenal game. He ended with 14-0-11 and the highest GPM of the game at 774. The score was now 2-1 in the best-of-5 Grand Finals.

The master drafter hard at work.


It's no Secret that they are the best



Game #4 started out with what the panel unanimously called the "worst outdraft of this final series". Liquid's drafting looked shaky compared the confidence of Secret. They were once again confronted by the Puppey Doom. And the lanes started out badly, too, as FATA gave up firstblood mid. He may have taken W33ha's Invoker, but it didn't look like he'd get quite the same performance.

Secret seemed to know full well that they had the advantage. Their pressure was relentless; first forcing down Liquid's safelane with early rotations from W33ha and EE, then using their pressure to take over the enemy jungle. The first kill for Liquid only came at 13 minutes.

"People are going to look at the score and think that Liquid crumbled, but that's not what happened here. This is Secret executing their strategy to a T." - BlitzDota


No matter where Liquid moved, they couldn't stop Secret from tracking them down. Matumbaman's Drow had to be content with a fourth place on the networth charts. And yet Liquid kept fighting, trying to push into the top tier 1 even though Secret doubled them in networth. But Secret was not about to let them get away with it. Their swift response saw the entire Liquid team bite the dust. Soon after, base buildings were falling, and there was nothing Liquid could do about it. They called GG, and Team Secret won the series 3-1 to become the Shanghai Major Champions!



Congratulations to your #ShanghaiMajor Champions, @TeamSecret! 🏆https://t.co/XOY5mQ9b3m— Twitch Esports (@TwitchESPORTS) March 6, 2016


😊 Een foto die is geplaatst door TeamSecretDOTA2 (@teamsecretdota2) op 6 Mrt 2016 om 4:04 PST



Final Standings
1st: $1,112,753 - eu Team Secret
2nd: $406, 697 - eu Team Liquid
3rd: $318, 653 - us Evil Geniuses
4th: $257,956 - kr MVP Phoenix*
5th-6th: $204,432 - Int Fnatic
5th-6th: $204,432 - us compLexity Gaming
7-8th. $106, 216 - eu OG
7-8th. $106, 216 - se Alliance
9-12th. $45,521 - cn Newbee
9-12th. $45,521 - ru Virtus.Pro*
9-12th. $45,521 - cn PSG.LGD
9-12th. $45,521 - cn EHOME
13th-16th: $30,347 - cn CDEC Gaming
13th-16th: $30,347 - cn Vici Gaming
13th-16th: $30,347 - ru Team Spirit
13th-16th: $30,347 - us Team Archon*



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