posted by Supafida,
Just hours ago, eu Team Secret defeated ru Team Empire in the Grand Final of MarsTV Dota 2 League held in Shanghai. With this victory, Secret secured their third consecutive LAN championship and claimed almost €100,000 as their prize. Read on to catch up on the series and how supports can make or break the game! Coming to the MarsTV Dota 2 League's Grand Final, eu Team Secret was the clear favourite as they have yet to drop a game in the entire tournament. Nonetheless, ru Team Empire was also looking strong after defeating the only Chinese team in top 4 cn Vici Gaming in the Semi-Final. After 4 games, Secret emerged the ultimate victor with the score of 3-1, claiming the first place and 98.432,00 EUR. Throughout the series, the supports proved to be the key element in guaranteeing a victory for the team.

Another championship secured! - Image Source



Empire drafted the surprise Outworld Devourer perhaps in anticipation of the Io–Bristleback duo at mid lane. Early game saw a lot of lane switching, as Secret rotated their sidelanes in hopes of giving their cores a better laning stage, with Empire following suit. The hero that benefited the most was OD, who had a great time farming at mid. However, Empire’s supports suffered heavily at the hands of se Ludwig 'zai' Wåhlberg’s Broodmother. Teamming up with de Kuro S. 'KuroKy' Takhasomi and ee Clement 'Puppey' Ivanov, the trio picked apart Axe and especially Witch Doctor, who was helpless once he’d used the Paralyzing Cask. ca Artour 'Arteezy' Babaev, after a slightly rough time, still managed to catch up in terms of creep kills.

Secret’s lineup became online as soon as mid game set in, exploding with kills after kills. The mobility and sustain given by the support duo means that they could outlast and overrun their opponents with relative ease. The weakness of their counterparts on the other side of the battlefield, as WD and Undying often failed to survive and prove useful in combat. The Blink Dagger on Axe scored some pick-offs here and there, but Secret’s 3 cores were too durable to be dealt with. Secret walked over Empire and secured for themselves victory in the first map.


Game 2 didn’t start well for Empire as they gave up a solo kill on safelane Storm Spirit and Secret was able to get a lead in terms of kills and gold without Puppey being accounted for. With Kuroky and Zai performing phenomenally, Secret was able to pull ahead very quickly with excellent Hookshots and Track kills. Empire’s supports, on the other hand, were dirt poor and could not make any significant impact on the game. Secret was able to secure the second map with great ease.


It is with little doubt that Empire got the best early game so far, as they secured farm for ua Roman 'Resolut1on' Fominok’s SF and managed to kill the offlane Clockwork more than once. Rtz was not having a good time on Gyrocopter as he could not secure farm to transition well into mid game. However, se Gustav 's4' Magnusson's Bristleback took the charge and tore through Empire’s lineup and pulled Secret ahead. The Dire was in the driver’s seat until Empire’s supports happened.

The Rubick-Witch Doctor duo played the second half of Game 2 perfectly. ua Ilya 'AlohaDance' Korobkin, with his Aghanim’s Scepter purchased at the 30 minute mark, stole Naga Siren’s ulti and counter-initiated, which resulted in a favourable exchange for team Empire. Another well-positioned Death Ward by ua Andrey 'alwayswannafly' Bondarenko ensured that he got off a fully-channeled ulti, dealing devastating damage to those caught within it. With the tide turned, Secret had to resort to “rat” tactics with s4 and Rtz trying to sneak into the Radiant’s base and went for the throne. Nonetheless, Empire was pretty much aware of this and got back in time to defend their naked throne and kill off the intruders. Eyes on the prize, they marched onto Secret’s middle lane and secured this map, clinging on a sliver of hope and pushing for the fourth game.



Once again, the supports proved to be the make-or-break element of the game. With an arsenal full of heals, Secret decided to go for offensive trilane, matching Undying, Keeper of the Light and Witch Doctor against Gyrocopter, Bane and Rubick. It became clear that KotL and WD were too overwhelming, as Bane and Rubick were unable to dish out the damage needed and gave up early kills in the Dire top lane.

With the advantage in items and levels, Secret proceeded to take towers after towers. Soul Rip, Guardian Greaves and Chakra Magic meant that they never had to retreat to regen health and mana. The highlight for Empire came at 27 minutes when Bane used his Fiend’s Grip on Shadow Fiend (how appropriate!) and Empire managed to take down SF, WD and Undying without losing anyone. Nonetheless, that was about the only notable moment for the CIS squad, as Secret began tightening things up to prevent the series from going to the deciding game 5. Some questionable moves on Resolut1on saw him being picked off and Secret decimated the Dire lineup in their base without much trouble, locking up a 3-1 victory.

Secret in post-game conference - Image Source


Final standings:
1st Place 98.432,00 EUR eu Team Secret
2nd Place 43.748,00 EUR ru Team Empire
3rd Place 26.249,00 EUR world Cloud9
4th Place 17.500,00 EUR cn Vici Gaming
5th-8th Place 10.937,00 EUR cn CDEC Gaming, cn EHOME, cn PSG.LGD, cn Invictus Gaming

If there was one thing to take away from the Grand Finals, it was that supports make the difference. They ensure a good early game for the cores and also can turn the fight around with limited farm. With good drafts and good plays, Puppey and his teammates secured themselves the third LAN victory in a row. Secret has cemented their position as one of the best, if not the best team in the world right now.




What are your thoughts on MDL's Grand Final? Did the results meet your expectations? What do you expect from Secret and other teams in future tournaments? Leave a comment below!



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