The group stage of The International 2022 is coming to an end in Singapore. 20 teams from all regions are participating in the race for 16 places in the main stage.
Now we are talking about group B, where passions for the top of the playoffs flare up. The main roles are played by Secret and Team Aster, whose head-to-head confrontation we'll talk about now.
Both clubs claim to be highly seeded, because their game shows a serious attitude. However, getting to the top of the grid can be problematic for both, and therefore it is worth scoring points here and now.
We figure out which of the teams will be worthy of hitting the winner and whether this match will receive a winner.
Team Secret uniform
Team Secret will be the favorite for this match. The chance of a European club to win is estimated at a factor of 3.1.
Such figures have become a regularity in the central matches of the last game day. Our case is no exception.
Team Secret looked sluggish throughout the season. After the TOP-3 of The International 10, the team suffered from a series of reshuffles, which affected the results.
In May of this year, the roster was again battered and by the summer the team was completed. There was no talk of a direct ticket to The International 2022, but Puppey did not intend to miss his 11th tournament of the series.
At Last Chance Qualifier Secret they revived and showed class. With varying success, they do this in the group stage of The International.
Team Secret results at The International 2022
- 2-0 victory over Beastcoast
- Draw with Fnatic 1-1
- 2-0 victory over TSM
- Lost to Tundra 0-2
- Draw with Team Spirit 1-1
Quite chaotic games are obtained by Secret, however, it is at the top of the table of its group at the time of writing the forecast, this does not interfere with them. However, the position of the team remains precarious and the result in the match against Entity, which is currently taking place, will be important (the time of writing the forecast is 16:00, 10/17/2022).
Team Secret roster
- crystallis
- Nisha
- Resolut1on
- Zayac
- Puppey
In the course of the same last chance qualifiers and especially the season, questions arose for almost every player. Now Team Secret look well-proportioned as a team and strongly singly.
Team Secret Heroes
In patch 7.32, Secret played their own DotA at premium tournaments. Their most common spawns were Tusk (7 matches, 85% wins), Witch Doctor (5 matches, 80; wins), Monkey King (5 matches, 60% wins), Pangolier (4 matches, 50% wins), Death Prophet (4 matches, 50% win rate).
Team Aster Uniform
As an outsider, Team Aster will approach this match. The chance of a team from China to win is estimated at a coefficient of around 3.6.
For bo2, the indicator is actually equal to what Secret has. In the match we should expect parity.
Before the start of the tournament, it was difficult to predict what Aster would be like. As from a Chinese team, they expected a confident game from Aster and, in principle, they got it.
Remembering the season of giants from China, it is hard to deny the high level of skill of the team. The team consistently occupied the TOP-3 of the home league, and at the only major for teams from China, Aster climbed into the TOP-3, which ensured them a direct hit on The International.
The tournament itself, by the way, is going well for Aster so far. At the time of writing the review, the team occupies the 2nd line in the table with a score of 9-5.
Team Aster results at The International 2022
- 2-0 victory over TSM
- Draw with Entity 1-1
- 2-0 victory over Beastcoast
- Lost to Fnatic 0-2
- Draw with Thunder Awaken 1-1
Aster confidently went through the tournament until the third game day, where the team gave away 3 cards. By the way, they lost against Fnatic and Thunder Awaken, not the most expected opponents.
Team Aster roster
I don’t see the point in talking about personalities, because there are faces familiar to all lovers of competitive DotA. Monet, as always, is good, and this Aster is played.
Heroes Team Aster
At The International 2022, the team is not reinventing the wheel. They play wild, picking Mars, Puck, Tiny, Snapfire, Mars, Primal Beast, Marci, Visage.
There is nothing supernatural, except perhaps for playing on “classic” cores like Sven, Luna and Drow Ranger. Monet doesn't play Shadow Fiend and other non-conventional heroes that are strong right now.
History of personal confrontations
Previously, the teams played each other as part of ESL One Malaysia 2022. In the group stage, they then played a draw, and later Secret lost to their counterparts with a score of 0-2.
Match outcome
I see a draw as the most expected option here. It is very difficult to choose a clear winner, because the teams are very similar.
The only way that conditional Team Secret will win is if Aster plays the way they played on the third game day. I believe in it with difficulty, and therefore I will bet on a draw.
Outcome: draw.
