As expected, the seventh edition of The Summit delivered top class action, with Virtus.pro providing the greatest value. The Russian team were crowned champions, defending their Summit 6 title in a dominant, stylish and yet seemingly casual manner.
Reaching the Grand Finals
Virtus.pro opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over compatriots Team Empire, but a misstep in the next stage against LGD (1-2) saw them relegated to the lower bracket. From there Virtus.pro won three consecutive matches against Digital Chaos (2-1), NP (2-0) and a lower bracket finals rematch against LGD (2-0) to reach the Grand Finals.
A worthy opponent at the Grand Finals
Virtus.pro met a resurgent Team Secret in the Grand Finals and squeaked to the title with a 3-2 success.
The Russian team opened the series with defeat as Puppey with the Spirit Breaker in the early game and then Khezu with Sand King in the mid-game made the difference.
Virtus.pro bounced back with a win in the next outing though, but although they were in the driving seat most of the time, they had to fight hard to attain it. As the game progressed, the tankiness of Virtus.pro’s cores proved to be too much of an obstacle for the enemy.
Virtus.pro built on this with another victory, this time using the infamous Dazzle-Huskar combo. Despite Team Secret having an excellent crowd control and kiting potential, Virtus.pro demonstrated better execution and took the win.
Continuing with their goal to pick as many different heroes throughout the tournament as possible, Virtus.pro were clearly outdrafted in the next game and were beaten in a little over 20 minutes as Team Secret levelled the scores to 2-2.
A last pick that turned into a Sven support was the trick up the sleeve of Solo in the last game’s draft, and it was this that proved crucial. Virtus.pro surprisingly added an Anti-Mage into the equation alongside Warlock in an offensive duo lane, with the former being provided with enough space to farm. It was through this that the series victory was secured.
A well-oiled machine
Virtus.pro play an aggressive Dota style that is quite typical of the CIS teams, relying on support rotations and knowing the best moment to capitalize on item advantage or hero levels.
However, Virtus.pro have never been known for their wide hero pool and were widely criticized before the tournament for their limited hero picks. These critics were silenced at The Summit as Virtus.pro picked 52 different heroes – 32 more than the second placed team in this regard, Na’Vi. This demonstrated that not only were Virtus.pro the best team in the tournament, but that they have no meta restrictions and can make almost every line-up work.
The squad
Solo is the most experienced member of the team as well as being its leader. When it comes to drafting, he is the brains behind the outfit. His drafting in the tournament was as unpredictable as it was diverse (e.g. Sven being switched to support in the final game). The Russian captain knows his team well and has a deep understanding of the game, which has been key to Virtus.pro winning so many games of late.
Lil – in some games Lil can almost be a fourth core for the team, as he is well-suited to playing heroes of that scale well in the late-game. Known for unconventional itemizations and a unique playstyle with some heroes, he can have an impact in the laning stage of the game when alone or in tandem with his support partner Solo. He is also perhaps the most convertible player in the team.
9Pasha – the main initiator for Virtus.pro, he is known for the precision and timing of his ultimates. An aggressive offlaner, 9Pasha defines the playstyle of the team and is often ready to sacrifice himself in the laning stage to get a kill on the enemy core. His interventions with heroes such as Magnus usually decide the course of team fights and games, and he rarely fails to deliver.
RAMZES666 – although in modern Dota 2 the position of hard carry has lost much of its glamour and is not as game-deciding as it once was, RAMZES666 is an old school carry who can still have an impact not by being a passive farmer, but by teaming up and participating in the vital early clashes. He can play playmaking heroes but what sets him apart from other core players is that he does not need to be enabled by his supports to shine.
No[o]ne is the flashy player in the team and similar to Lil, he is quite convertible. While he can shine single-handedly and set the tempo of the game with heroes such as Templar Assassin, he also possesses the discipline and patience to play a more passive farming role enabled by his supports. A good example of the latter is his Sniper with whom he dishes deadly portions of damage from a significant distance, protected by his teammates. Impressive in the laning stage, he tends to make unexpected one-on-one kills when his opponents underestimate his firepower.
The International lies ahead
The Summit 7 was not short of quality teams, with Team Secret, LGD Gaming and Team NP all participating, making it a good test for the upcoming International.
Virtus.pro fell just short of winning the Kiev Major back in April, losing 2-3 to OG in the Finals, but have now been invited to the blue riband event. They are strong favourites to go all the way and win it after claiming The Summit crown.
The team have been among the top Dota 2 teams since the formation of the new squad back in August and their recent performances should alarm their opponents. Unpredictability was the defining quality as Wings Gaming won TI 6 last year and the current Virtus.pro roster demonstrated they have this in spades at The Summit 7. Going into TI 7 in form too suggests they will be a formidable prospect come August.
