On the main stage of the Yota Arena in Moscow, Virtus.Pro, arguably the strongest Russian team in 2017, deservedly lifted the 2017 Russian E-Sports Cup after a rather effortless 2-0 against Team Empire.
During the main LAN event, which took place between May 26 and May 28, the team first overcame Team Spirit – who had earlier inflicted on them their only loss of the tournament – and then Team Empire in the grand final.
Road to the Final
En route to the finals, Virtus.Pro breezed through the group stages, topping Group C with five wins and zero losses. Virtus.Pro met little resistance against smaller local teams, seeing off their opponents in fewer than 30 minutes on each occasion.
The next stage of the tournament featured Virtus.Pro avoid the lower bracket and qualify directly for the LAN finals after a 2-0 win over Team Spirit. In the first game, Virtus.Pro’s choice for a heavy teamfight line-up, along with some beautiful wombo combos featuring Invoker, Crystal Maiden, Treant Protector and Earthshaker, got the better of their opponents. Game 2 was won after a strategy centered on damage-dealing Ursa and a tanky Dragon Knight, who Team Spirit had a lot of trouble taking down.
LAN Final
Having directly advanced to the LAN Final, Virtus.Pro had yet again to play Team Spirit, who had emerged as one of the winners in the lower bracket. Unfortunately for the latter, Virtus.Pro prevailed once more.
This time around, it took 56 minutes for Virtus.Pro to win in game 1. Much like the previous encounter, it was another strong teamfight composition, this time combined with a hard-hitting Troll Warlord, which brought in the victory. Team Spirit pushed back in game 2, outplaying their opponents in the early game with well-timed rotations and eventually built an advantage that was kept until the end of the game. Being on the verge of elimination, Virtus.Pro responded with Juggernaut and Templar Assassin cores that made the difference for their second win.
Grand Final
Virtus.Pro met the recently impressive Team Empire in the grand final, sweeping them with a clean 2-0 victory to become the Dota 2 eSports champions of Russia.
The selection of heroes in the drafting stage in-game suggested that Virtus.Pro were going to play for objectives this time around. With Death Prophet and Lone Druid, the team kept a quiet early game and focused on farming, while the supports managed to contain the enemy Terroblade and prevent him from doing serious tower damage. Once the Phophet and the Druid were farmed enough, the pushes began. Tower after tower were falling, with Empire being unable to halt the enemy advance. As soon as the first duo of barracks fell after only 19 minutes of play, it was clear who the winner was going to be.
A blend of physical damage and disablers was the choice pick of game 2 for Virtus.Pro. Empire chose a Terrorblade again, and despite their ganking potential, it was Virtus.Pro who emerged out of the early game with a better farm and kill advantage. They emphatically won the first clash, and they gradually started to build an advantage and control the game. In the mid-game, their attention was turned to the Terrorblade, as he was the only feasible threat. Restricting his farm and getting more map control by taking down more towers was the key to extending the advantage. Empire responded with a strong team fight after about 24 minutes, but that only prolonged their agony – Virtus.Pro still had the better map control and better lane game strategy. The Sniper was unreachable and eventually Virtus.Pro capitalized on his range to dish out solid portions of damage on the enemy tier-three towers from afar. Watching their defenses fall, Empire had no choice but to mobilize themselves for one final team fight in front of their base, which after losing, called the “gg”.
Perfect Team Composition
For all those who keep in touch with the professional Dota 2 scene, it was hardly a surprise that Virtus.Pro emerged as the winners of the tournament. The team has been together for a while now and has achieved a great synergy, has a dedicated hero pool and is one of the best in executing their own game.
Generally known for their aggressive style, Virtus.Pro decided to experiment throughout the tournament with various lineups. We saw effective pushing, heavy physical damage, as well as strong teamfight compositions – all of which proved to be successful and were delightful to watch.
One of the underlying reasons for the side’s success is its strong teamwork. Captain Solo is one of the eldest and the most experienced players in the team, and his drafts demonstrate that he has a sound knowledge of the game. While Virtus.Pro are known for signature hero picks, such as Magnus, Ursa or Disruptor, Solo is not afraid to experiment on both the small and bigger stages. Lil is accompanying him on the support role, although his playmaking skills have also proven to give the team the advantage in the early stages of the game. He can be influential on any hero, but playing Slardar or Weaver means certain trouble for the enemy team.
The team’s strong performances are also forged by the two cores, RAMZES666 and No[o]ne. Respectively a hard carry and a mid player, they rarely switch positions, but the two duo possess wide hero pools and some of their heroes overlap. No[o]ne is deadly on Ursa and Templar Assassin, while RAMZES666 is also handy with the bear warrior, as well as Lifestealer and Terrorblade. The latter is more suited to a farming role, but thanks to space provided by the rest of the team and the recent patch changes, both of them occasionally play hard farming roles in one and the same lineup.
When it comes to team fights, 9pasha is the heart of the team. An initiator with patience, he is often able to find the right moment to strike with his ultimate and turn the tides of the battle in his team’s favour. The offlaner is particularly renowned for initiators, such as Magnus, Dark Seer and Centaur.
What Does the Future Hold?
The autumn of 2016 saw Virtus.Pro rise with its current roster, and the team has quickly turned into one of the most solid Dota 2 teams on the scene. Looking at the Boston and Kiev Majors, Virtus.Pro reached the quarterfinals in the first and fell just short in the final of the second, so it was hardly surprising that their game in the 2017 Russian E-Sports Cup seemed effortless and simple, nor that they never really looked in trouble in any of their encounters.
As stated by the players, the team’s ambitions lie in winning the International 2017, which is the ultimate goal for any Dota 2 team. Given their performances, it is certainly a mission possible.
