Team Secret’s shocking dominance at DPC WEU Tour 2

Absolute dominance is now synonymous with Team Secret after their victory versus Team Liquid last week. This might be a telltale sign of Team Secret’s return to relevancy, after their previous Tour’s fiasco. As DPC2021-22 Tour 2 Western Europe rages on, Secret is presumably one of, if not the region’s strongest team.

Can Tundra and OG stop them dead in the tracks in Week 2?

Team Secret strikes back in DPC Tour 2

It’s the classic rivalry between the two most prominent Esports orgs in WEU. While veteran player, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov still leads Team Secret as their captain, OG brought in new faces, who will carry OG’s legacy forward.

Despite being regarded as the seasoned team, Secret didn’t hold their own against the likes of OG, Nigma Galaxy, and even the recently defeated Liquid. As we prophesized, Secret is a team that relies heavily on their drafts as leverage against other formidable teams. What Team Secret lacks in in-game execution is greatly compensated with well-thought hero line-ups. Hence, the early days of a new patch are always Team Secret’s winning condition as this gives them more versatility and undiscovered strategies to use.

This week they have two tough matches versus Tundra Esports and OG. If they win both they will be cement themselves as the early favorite in Tour 2.

Team Secret vs Tundra Esports

Amidst the power creep of WEU teams, Tundra Esports remained relatively low-profile for a team that recruited Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. Using Team Secret as our WEU team benchmark, Tundra ranked poorly since they lost to Team Secret last Tour. Even then, Tundra was one of the DPC WEU Regional Finals participants, albeit they finished last.

After the sloppy performance, Saksa joined Tundra as the team’s pos4 support. Saksa is a phenomenal player in the competitive scene for good reasons, notably for rivaling Team Secret’s Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat in the same role.

Now, Tundra Esports is arguably the stronger opponent than OG in DPC WEU Tour 2. This team is well-versed in interesting drafts and has players, who are dynamic in pulling off Aui_2000’s innovations. However, one key stakeholder played the most impactful role in Tundra’s success, Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling. The former International 5 champion was reputable for theory-crafting unorthodox heroes, perhaps his most infamous one being his Naga Siren support.

Hence, given Tundra’s consistent gameplay prior to Saksa’s arrival. We can very much anticipate Tundra to be a more formidable opponent than we suspected. Even then, Tundra likely poses no threat to Team Secret due to their past encounters. Tundra’s drafts were strong in the lanes but doesn’t seem feasible in the long run. Knowing Team Secret, they prefer playing the match till the late game, which will certainly diminish Tundra’s winrate, at least on paper.

Meanwhile, the odds paint a different picture, whereby Tundra Esports is more favorable at x1.75 odds against Secret at x2.03 odds.

Team Secret vs OG

OG is a young team that left quite the impression last Tour, where their explosive playstyle caught many opponents off-guard. This raises a concern towards how well OG fares up against teams with the drafting advantage. After all, the last patch that Tour 1 was played, lasted since the International 10 (TI10). At that point, the meta is stale, whereby Juggernaut, Mars, and Io were picked or banned in every competitive match.

Thus, this will be an interesting perspective on OG and how they intend on playing it out.

Historically, OG won all their matches against Secret, notably in Tour 1. However, judging from how Secret capitalized on the recent Dota 2 Patch 7.31, OG is already at a disadvantage. Couple that with how Secret is opting for more aggression in their hero choices, likely to keep up with Syed Sumail’s “SumaiL” Hassan’s momentum.

Regardless, the Dota 2 odds are relatively even for both teams at x1.88 returns.

Gladiators’ rise in DPC WEU

Gladiators’ humble beginning and promotion to Division 1 are as inspiring as it sounds. In just one Tour, Gladiators went from being the underdogs from Division 2 to becoming the hailed DPC WEU Regional Finals champions.

That said, this didn’t come as much surprise considering the players’ background. Among these talented players is Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard, who’s reputable for being a former Team Secret carry player. Or Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp, the captain of Gladiators, who was once captain of Vikin.gg too.

Gladiators vs Nigma Galaxy

Nigma is yet another high-profile team, one that is led by former TI7 Champions. Except for Igor “iLTW” Filatov, the rest of Nigma are the founding members of Team Liquid in TI7.

Of course, Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi is well regarded as a great captain. However, fans have yet to see Nigma deliver their expected results thus far. Even now, as we head into the second Tour, Nigma’s days still feel numbered. One instance is how Nigma insists on playing the late game against opponents that use midgame tactics. The lack of surefire initiation from Nigma’s hero choice makes it difficult for Nigma to make space for their late-game carry.

It’s as if Nigma’s hero choice contradicts their goal of having a six-slotted carry in the late game. Gladiators is one of the many teams in modern DPC WEU that enjoys the fast-paced midgame. As such, we can bet that Gladiators won’t let Nigma reach their timing in the late game.

Despite the major flaws on Nigma, their odds aren’t too one-sided at x2.26 against Gladiators at x1.61 returns.

These are key teams to watch throughout the DPC WEU Tour 1 this week, and reliable candidates in Dota 2 betting. If Team Secret continues their winning spree, the following week’s Secret vs Gladiators would be even more enticing. Consider checking out the odds available on GG.BET

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