Puppey on Team Secret’s rough start: “If I get to TI, it’s over. They will lose to Gaben god.” cover image

Puppey on Team Secret’s rough start: “If I get to TI, it’s over. They will lose to Gaben god.”

Puppey addresses the prophecy of Team Secret winning TI12.

Following a brutal start to the Tour 3 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) in Western Europe (WEU), Team Secret finally broke its 3-game losing streak. The team, led by prominent captain, Clement "Puppey" Ivanov, grabbed their first series win against D1 Hustlers. This brought life to Team Secret's TI run and fans are starting to believe in the Team Secret prophecy once more.

If I get to TI, they are f*cked. If I get to TI, it's over. They will lose - they will lose to Gaben god. The Gaben god of numbers, the numbers will add up. But I'm getting to a really rough start and they really don't want me to get there.

Clement "Puppey" Ivanov

Puppey addresses the TI prophecy for Team Secret

In the post-match interview after Secret's victory against D1 Hustlers, caster Lacoste brought up Team Secret's pattern of achievement in the past couple of years. It is apparent that Team Secret kept climbing the ladder - achieving top 6 at TI8, top 4 at TI9, top 3 at TI10, and top 2 at TI11. Fans have been keeping a close eye on this pattern and it seems like 2023 will finally be the year when Team Secret becomes TI champions.

Team Secret's TI placements in the past years.
Team Secret's TI placements in the past years.

To this, Puppey dropped a bomb of comical theory. Puppey jokingly blamed the "gambling gods" for dragging his team down this season to stop them from fulfilling the prophecy.

If I get to TI, they are f*cked. If I get to TI, it's over. They will lose - they will lose to Gaben god. The Gaben god of numbers, the numbers will add up. But that's the problem, I'm getting to a really, really rough start right now. They really don't want it to happen, you know? Whatever the gambling gods are doing, they don't want me to get in there. Actually probably Valve is doing it, because to be fair, everybody's gonna bet on me because they know I'm gonna get first place, and the whole world will explode and the bank will explode.

Puppey likely to miss his first TI

Puppey at TI11.<br>Image via Valve
Puppey at TI11.
Image via Valve

Currently, Team Secret is in a rough spot as they began Tour 3 DPC with a 1-3 scoreline. The team also holds 0 DPC points and chances of a direct invite to TI12 seem slimmer than ever. On top of that, it seems like Valve is not holding a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) this year - which was the path that Team Secret took in 2022.

Team Secret's journey in WEU DPC will conclude in one more week. By early June, fans will get to see if Team Secret can qualify for the Bali Major or if all TI hopes will come to an end. There is also a larger stake at hand, as Puppey is the only player to have attended all TIs. Will Puppey finally end his TI streak or is there one more in him?

We'll keep you updated with more Dota 2 news. Until then, stay tuned to Esports.gg.