Puppey

Early Career and DotA Origins

Puppey began his esports career in 2007 by joining the team Xero Skill. He quickly rose through the ranks of the original Defense of the Ancients scene, playing for prominent teams such as KingSurf.international and Nirvana.international. His final competitive match in DotA was a victory with Team Na'Vi at the Asus Open Summer 2011, marking the end of an era before the full transition to Dota 2. This early period established his foundational skills and competitive mindset.

Dominance with Natus Vincere

Puppey's Dota 2 career began with Natus Vincere, a team that included players like Dendi and Artstyle. Their debut was spectacular, as they went undefeated to win The International 2011 and its one million dollar prize. Puppey was noted for his expert prediction and use of the hero Chen's ability to send teammates back to base. The team also won the Electronic Sports World Cup 2011, taking home $12,000. After ArtStyle's departure in October 2011, Puppey became the team's captain.

From 2011 to 2013, Puppey and Na'Vi were a dominant force, finishing on the podium in 31 out of 32 tournaments. They won events like the Alienware Cup, StarLadder Star Series Season 7, and The Defense Season 4. They also achieved second place at The International 2012. After winning the Dota 2 Champions League Season 2 in 2014, the team's performance dipped, culminating in a 7th-8th place finish at The International 2014. Shortly after, Puppey and teammate Kuroky left the organization, a move that sparked widespread speculation within the community about his reasons for leaving a team he had been with for four years.

Founding Team Secret and Initial Success

Puppey co-founded Team Secret in 2014. The initial roster, featuring him, Fly, N0tail, KuroKy, and s4, placed second in their first tournament, Starladder Season 10. Following this, Puppey placed top three in seven major tournaments and one premier tournament. He also won a 'Double Trouble' season with his manager, Matthew 'Cyborgmatt' Bailey, a tournament for pairs of notable Dota 2 personalities.

The team's first major achievement was winning $120,000 at ESL One Frankfurt 2015, which featured top teams like Alliance, Evil Geniuses, Cloud9, and Invictus Gaming. Despite entering The International 2015 as heavy favorites, they left with a tie for 7th-8th place and $830,000. The post-TI5 period was marked by public drama between KuroKy and Arteezy, which played out on Twitch and German forums.

Roster Shuffles and Major Victory

After TI5, the original Team Secret roster dissolved. s4 and Arteezy returned to their previous teams, Zai left to finish school, and KuroKy formed a new team. On 22 August 2015, team director Kemal Sadikoglu announced a new roster including MiSery, EternaLEnVy, w33, pieliedie, and Puppey.

This new lineup found success, placing second at The Frankfurt Major and ESL One New York while winning the Nanyang DotA 2 Championships and the MLG World Finals 2015. The peak came in March 2016 when Team Secret won the Shanghai Major after beating Team Liquid in the finals. However, roster changes after this victory led to weaker performances, including a shared last-place finish at the Manila Major 2016. Although they won the European qualifiers for The International 2016, they were among the first eliminations, after which most of the roster left.

The Dota Pro Circuit Era and Historic Achievements

The introduction of the Dota Pro Circuit in 2017 provided a structured competitive season. Puppey competed in 15 events during the 2017-2018 season, winning two including the DreamLeague Season 8 major. Team Secret ranked fourth in the DPC standings, earning a direct invitation to The International 2018 where they finished fifth.

The 2018-2019 season was even stronger. Puppey and Team Secret qualified for all five majors, winning two of them. This performance earned them first place in the DPC standings and another direct invite to The International 2019, where they placed fourth. In the 2019-2020 season, Puppey made history by winning DreamLeague Season 13, becoming the first player to win five official Dota 2 majors.

After the cancellation of The International 2020, Team Secret dominated online competition, winning eight tournaments in a row. Puppey maintained his record of attending every The International, a streak that continued through 2021 when Team Secret finished third. He became the sole player with this attendance record after KuroKy failed to qualify that year.

Later Challenges and a New Chapter

The 2022 season was a rollercoaster. Team Secret failed to qualify for any of the year's three majors, placing fifth in each European regional league tour. They qualified for The International 2022 by taking second in the European regional qualifiers and winning the Last Chance Qualifier. Team Secret advanced to the grand finals, Puppey's fourth appearance in a TI finals, but were defeated 3-0 by Tundra Esports.

The following season brought unprecedented challenges. Team Secret started with a last-place finish in the first Western European League tour, seeing Puppey and his team relegated to the lower division for the first time. They were promoted by finishing first in the lower division's second tour, but were relegated again by a last-place finish in the third tour. Forced into the qualifiers, they finished fourth, ending Puppey's historic streak of attending every The International.

In November 2024, Puppey played in 1win’s Fall Series Dota 2 tournament, which had a $100,000 prize pool. In a major career shift in June 2025, Puppey left Team Secret to join Edge, marking his first time competing in South America. He joined as a stand-in for the player payk ahead of the PGL Wallachia Season 5 tournament.

Payment Controversies

On 16 February 2016, former Team Secret manager Evany Chang accused the organization of not paying prize winnings to her and former players. The issue gained significant attention on 9 October 2016 when former player EternaLEnVy published a blog post. He detailed several instances where the organization, specifically team director Kemal and Puppey, failed to pay players on time, lied about payments and sponsorships, and took a 10% cut from prize winnings without informing the team. EternaLEnVy claimed Puppey was the only player aware of this cut.

Later the same day, another former player, MiSeRy, released a blog raising similar issues. He claimed Secret did not pay him until he asked several times and backed EternaLEnVy's claim about the undisclosed 10% cut taken by the organization.