In the lower bracket final Team Secret took on OG for the chance to face Aster in the grand finals of ESL One Malaysia. In the 2-0 series in favor of OG, the european squad outplayed the Team Secret counterpicks showing that they are in TI shape already and ready to take the Aegis back from team Spirit.
In game 1 OG secured Ammar’s infamous Mars, and we all know what happens next. Mars alongside Phoenix crush their lane against the seeming counter picked Razor and Tusk. With a triple bracer build right into a BKB, Ammar was already tough to bring down. But then, he pulled out the Ammar special, Aghanim’s Scepter. Gaining soldiers that surround his front side and attack in front of him while Bulwark is turned on.
Then, Ammar and his Mars went into raid boss territory. With an Satanic and Daedalus on top of his Titan Sliver, it took the full 5 man of Team Secret to take him down. And Secret only managed to do it 3 times throughout the entire 40 minute game. Stacked on top of Yuragi’s Alchemist that ate up all the main spells of Team Secret, nothing could stop Amar the Fortress.
Team Secret has been on quite the rise over the course of ESL One Malaysia. So heading into the matchup, everything seemed relatively even between the two teams. In the draft, Team Secret showcased Zayac’s Shadow Shaman, which was has been a pretty hard hero to play at a competitive level. Although Secret did lose the game, the potential of Shadow Shaman was shown to fully burst down heroes. You can see the full match breakdown here.
Its no surprise that Puck has been on a rampage. The fairy dragon is normally banned or instantly picked nowadays. Although patch 7.32 did nerf them a bit, Puck is still a premier hero. However, it seems like Team Secret’s Nisha might have found the best counter to Puck so far – Mid Enigma.
Yes, you heard right. Mid lane Enigma. With Enigma’s Eidolons, Puck loses out on tons of XP and has a rough time killing the eidolons. Especially with the 7.32 change to remove the small camp for mid, bzm’s Puck was quite far behind throughout the entire laning stage. With the insane amounts of pressure a mid Enigma can put on Puck, especially with a Orchid rush, Puck might have found its counter. However despite this, Team Secret did still lose the game.
Team Secret fans don’t fret. TI 11 open qualifiers are right around the corner. And if Secret is playing as well as they are playing now, we’ll be sure to see them at Ti11. For more ESL One Coverage with the upcoming grand finals, stay tuned to Esports.gg!
