It was supposed to be their year.
Team Secret was billed as a Super Group of Dota 2 players. That’s not an exaggeration their official Facebook page lists them as “The world’s leading Dota 2 players together on one team.” They’re the kinds of Dota 2 players even casual fans have heard of from Puppey to Arteezy to S4, and now they’re out of the International 5.
After an exciting leadup to the International proper, Team Secret underdelivered at the biggest tournament in Dota 2. This ultimately led to their elimination after a three game series against Virtus Pro.
Earlier in the tournament even, Team Secret had delivered in electric matches against IG including one with an insane comeback from IG:
They ultimately went on to win that series against IG, taking the next two matches. Their brief surge would ultimately be brought to an end by the threeseries against Virtus Pro, where they were ultimately just outplayed.
Earlier in the tournament, they were wiped out by EHOME 2-0. Commentators love to use words like decimated, and it seems accurate in this case. This is especially true considering the relative lack of hype surround EHOME this year and the extreme build up for a team like Team Secret. The TI:5 was supposed to be theirs to win, but it turns out that it was their year to lose.