The International 11 – Grand Final Recap

Unfortunately, the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International 11, is finally over. After more than 2 weeks of amazing series and surprising results, we finally have our TI 11 champion.

Following yesterday’s elimination of Team Aster, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, and Team Secret were the last 3 remaining teams at The International 11. Each one deserved to win the event, but in the end, Tundra Esports lifted the Aegis. Unsurprisingly, teams gave everything they had, so let’s check what happened in the two series.

The Lower Bracket Finals 

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Before taking a look at the big final, we had the chance to watch the LB Final. This match was as interesting as the other one because Team Secret had to go up against Team Liquid. These two have met countless times so far and have huge respect for each other. Hence, the series was amazing to watch.

Game 1

The first game of the series was probably the least interesting one because Team Secret was clearly better. Even though their draft didn’t look that scary on paper, Team Secret’s cores didn’t allow Liquid to utilize their pick. 

The game was pretty even for the first 10 minutes, and Liquid gained a slight advantage. However, things changed after a big team fight 15 minutes into the game. Puppey and the rest won this encounter and started snowballing out of control.

Liquid did what it could to keep itself in the game, but Nisha’s Morphling was too strong even for Matu’s Lifestealer. With more than a  15k net worth lead 27 minutes after the start, Team Secret ripped through their opponents and won the first map 2.

Game 2

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Team Liquid was just one game away from missing out on the Grand Final, so players decided it was time to step up their game. Fortunately, Matu and the rest picked one of their best drafts with zai’s Broodmother, and the team equalized the series.

Similar to game 1, there were a lot of back-and-forth fights. However, Team Liquid always had a slight lead. With more than a 17k lead 37 minutes after the start, Matumbaman and his crew were too strong for Secret to deal with. As a result, the team equalized the match.

Game 3

The series’ third game was probably the most interesting because the two teams used distinctive tactics. Liquid relied on Matu’s Lifestealer, whereas Secret used a Drow Ranger strategy that included Puppey’s favorite Enchantress.

Although Liquid had a small advantage, Secret decided to get 5 force staff so that they could deal with Lifestealer. This turned out to be the winning formula because the deadly STR carry couldn’t do much damage. On the other hand, Puppey’s Enchantress decided to get damage items and ripped through tie enemies.

The decisive fight took palace 32 minutes after the start, and it was enough for Team Secret to get a huge lead. In the end, Puppey and the rest decided to push and destroy the throne.

This was the final Dota 2 match for Matumbaman because the legendary carry announced his retirement. Sadly, he and his team finished third.

The International 11 Grand Final –Team Liquid v Team Secret

Team Secret’s victory allowed Puppey and the rest to go up against Tundra Esports for the third time at The International 11. Unsurprisingly, the team wanted to win because it had lost the two previous series.

Despite having momentum on their side, Team Secret failed to live up to the expectations and lost its Grand Final against Tundra. The latter played flawlessly in each game and proved yet again that they are the best team in the world.

Game 1

Following Tundra’s domination with Naga in the Upper Bracket final, the team decided to use the hero. However, the team paired the hero with Tidehunter and Tusk OD. On the other hand, Secret tried to stick to the meta and got a Pos1 Pudge and Enigma and Tiny.

The game was even for the first couple of minutes, but after several mistakes from Secret, Tundra took full control. As expected, their Naga gained a massive lead and became pretty much unkillable. 

Nisha was the only player from Secret’s draft close to Tundra’s cores, but he was not enough to carry his team. Pudge and Enigma were nowhere to be found, which was good news for Tundra, who used this to their advantage. Following several other fights that went in their favor, Saksa and co. won the map and secured themselves the lead in the series.

Game 2

After the impressive performance in the first game, Tundra Esports continued to dominate and won the second map of the final. The team decided to get an interesting pick in the face of Arc Warden, which was the first time the hero appeared in a TI final. While it is true that Secret tried to counter it with Morhpling, even this was not enough to stop him.

Puppey and the rest had a good start and secured a substantial advantage early on. Their BB and Morhpling combo looked good on paper, but things changed once Tundra’s CK and Warden pick got the needed items.

Suddenly, Tundra’s pick took control of the game and didn’t allow Secret to bounce back. Nevertheless, Puppey and the rest were close in terms of net worth because Morphling was really strong. The bad news is that even he wasn’t powerful enough to defeat the powerful Tundra Esports.

Game 3

The third game of the match looked very similar to the first two. With their backs against the wall, Team Secret decided to get Naga Siren, Ember Spirit, and Lesrhac. On the other hand, Tundra wanted to win this series and secure its first TI victory, which is why the team got Medusa.

Despite the fact that Secret’s draft was perfect on paper, Tundra was once again in a league of its own and didn’t make any mistakes. Secret relied heavily on their carry’s Naga Siren, but the hero wasn’t able to do much against one of the best late-game monsters in Dota 2.

As expected, Tundra Esports’s Medusa became too strong and was unkillable. Secret did everything they could to win the match, but Tundra was always one step ahead and dealt with the Global Silence and everything else offered by Secret.

After yet another unsuccessful gank attempt, Tundra Esports killed 3 of Secret’s heroes, which allowed them to push and destroy the throne. This was the last nail in the coffin for Secret as their counterparts won The International 11.

Aside from becoming a TI-winning squad, Tundra Esports also grabbed a whopping $8,489,501. Tundra’s team is as follows:

• Oliver “skiter” Lepko
• Leon “Nine” Kirilin
• Neta “33” Shapira
• Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
• Wu “Sneyking” Jingjun