Virtus.pro - Armenia — Dota 2 team

Virtus.pro is an organization that can safely be called a veteran of eSports: it was founded back in 2003, when participation in computer game competitions was considered a hobby and not taken seriously. However, the organizers, having chosen a very symbolic name (comes from the Latin expression Beatitudo non est virtutis praemium, sed ipsa virtus and means professional skill), did not doubt their success and led the club not only to great victories, but also to international recognition. A special role in the development of Virtus.pro was played by the Dota 2 roster, the participants of which were star e-sportsmen who managed to win a number of solid championships. However, let's talk about everything in turn.

History

The Virtus.pro Dota 2 roster was created in 2012 and organically fit into the overall strategy of the cyber club's development. Thanks to the victories of this team, the organization entered the list of top 10 in the world in terms of awards won (more than 18 million dollars).

The first big victories came to the team already a few years after its creation - the boys took 5-6 places at The International in 2014 and 2015, and also won The Summit 6 in November 2016. 2018 was even more successful for eSports: Virtus.pro won four major tournaments, including ESL One Katowice 2018 and The Bucharest Major.

However, Fortune's favor was not permanent. The team's performance at The International 2019 turned out to be not as successful as the players expected, after which several changes were made to the team, including the departure of two rather strong players: Ramzes and 9pasha .

In April 2020, Virtus.pro announced the creation of a second Dota 2 squad, VP.Prodigy . This youth team showed encouraging results in the regional leagues in 2021, but as of the end of 2022, they have not achieved a single significant victory in the top events.

The roster started the 2022-2023 season with a revamped lineup that featured an interesting mix of young talent and experienced players such as Noticed and Dukalis . However, despite effective performances in regional leagues, the athletes could not solidly declare themselves at international competitions. But, they played under the neutral tag " Outsiders " because of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Achievement

According to various estimates, the Virtus.pro Dota 2 team ranks 4th in the former CIS with a win percentage of 57%. The team earned more than $11 million in prize money.

The main successes of the roster were victories in five Major tournaments:

• in Hamburg in 2017;

• in Katowice in 2018;

• in Bucharest in 2018;

• in Birmingham in 2018;

• in Kuala Lumpur in 2019

In addition, this team became the first in Dota 2 history to win two ESL One majors in a row.

Team strategy

The team, regardless of changes in its composition, is distinguished by strategic play, as well as the desire to take control of the opponent in the first 10-15 minutes of the game. The team acts very aggressively and dictates the pace of the game, never giving up on team fights, moreover, they often impose them on their opponents, turning even unwinnable and dangerous situations to their advantage.

Another feature of the team is systematic training, as well as many hours of work by the main and reserve team on the development of innovative strategies that can be used in the fight against opponents who adhere to different styles of play. Virtus.pro's style of play in Dota 2 is a model for building their own strategy for many less successful eSports teams.

Selection of heroes (drafting)

The team strives to choose comfortable heroes that match the play style and personal preferences of the participants.

Early game

The main priorities of the roster in the early stages of the game are efficient farming, depriving the enemy of resources and destroying important objects such as towers and killing Roshan.

Mid game

If the team manages to implement its plans and gain an advantage in the early game, then its middle phase is active, with the guys preferring team fights.

Late game

In the last stage of the game, in most of the matches played, the team tried not to show high activity, slowly strengthening their positions and avoiding risky actions. It was the balanced actions at the last stage of the games that helped VP to win a number of solid victories. Experts, however, also note the weak side of the unchanging strategy: the actions of most of the team members are predictable for the enemy, which is the reason for its failures.

Prospects

Despite the difficulties that arose due to changes in the composition of the team during the history of its existence, as well as the political situation in the world, experts assess the future prospects of the roster as very impressive. The good position of the team and confidence in its further victories at significant sports competitions is evidenced by a wide list of sponsors, including such popular firms as Tesoro, Schneider Electric, MelBet, BenQ and Beeline.