Esports Gaming: Virtus.pro claimed their third Summit title in a scintillating display of Dota 2. Captain Solo’s absence did not prove much of a hindrance and with ArtStyle joining the play from the coach’s seat, the Russian team crushed the opposition, losing just one game across the whole tournament. Apart from setting records, the team also added $120,000 to their bank account, as well as 150 Pro Circuit points.
How it happened
Surprisingly, Virtus.pro were not among the invited teams, despite being the winners of the two previous editions. This meant they had to earn their spot in the tournament through the CIS qualifiers, with two convincing wins against Vega Squadron (2-0) and Na`Vi (3-1) getting them across the line.
In the Main Event, the Russian team were placed in Group A alongside OG and Sacred. It was a group they were to top with a flawless record of six victories and no defeats. Finishing first sent them straight to the semis, where they met the surprise of the tournament, Team Kinguin, who had topped Group B. Virtus.pro broke their run, however, and advanced to the Finals with a 2-0 win.
Here they faced a tough task against a strongly performing Fnatic side. The newly renovated SEA team, however, were not quite at Virtus.pro’s level and the Russians managed to secure a 3-1 series victory to claim the title.
How Virtus.pro have managed to stay on top for so long
With Solo being away and ArtStyle filling the gap, there were mild concerns as to whether Virtus.pro would be as strong as they normally are. These were soon dispersed, though, as ArtStyle proved to be a great fit in the position 4 role, while Lil showed the necessary versatility to adapt to the requirements of position 5. The support duo synchronized well and covered each other on the map.
One of the champion-defining traits that Virtus.pro possess is the uncanny ability to figure out a new meta as soon as a patch has been released. Not limited to playing heroes around the meta, they can make various line-ups work thanks to their strong chemistry and having played together for more than a year.
The other question mark with Solo gone was the team’s drafting, but ArtStyle excelled in this department, too. Outdrafting their opponents is traditionally one of Virtus.pro’s greatest strengths and they did so in each of their encounters here.
The team has an aggressive playstyle and likes to dictate the tempo of the game right from the start. As such, they don’t often find themselves in a comeback position and are thus not comfortable sitting back. Despite their aggressiveness, they are highly disciplined and rarely overextend their advantage in an attempt to rush the game. Knowing when to fight and utilizing item timings is something they do well. They are also aware when they have the advantage over their opponents and tend to maximize it.
The team’s greatest strengths are their teamplay, with each player generally contributing equally towards winning the game. Indeed, most of their victories are characterised by team dominance and almost never rely on a single person’s overwhelming performance to achieve victory.
The role of the cores
RAMZES666, 9pasha and No[o]ne comprise the core trio for Virtus.pro.
RAMZES666 is a versatile carry who can be a great flash farmer, but he prefers to fight. He is also capable of getting a solo kill and his great map awareness guides him on when to gank and when to avoid ganking. More often than not, both he and No[o]ne play hard carry and sometimes even 9pasha gets a third high damage dealing hero (e.g. Morphling vs OG) in the offlane. No[o]ne can play either tempo controlling heroes that love to fight in the mid game (such as Tiny or Shadow Fiend), or late game cores that require a substantial amount of farm (Medusa, Morphling) to become viable. He’s a strong laner and is very capable of thrashing the enemy mid-laner.
What 9pasha brought to the team on the stage of The Summit 8 was his utility. Depending on team strategy, he either played a strong heavy damage offlaner (Morphling), ganker and nuker such as Shadow Demon or a team viable fight hero such as Omniknight. He was strong in the laning stage and it was not uncommon to see him win the enemy safe lane.
The role of the supports
ArtStyle and Lil needed no time to gel. The duo were able to help the team win their lanes in the early game and were the reason behind plenty of early game kills. While Lil was more often than not playing the position 5 role, the two occasionally swapped. The duo would normally make crucial rotations along the map and secure some early game kills to build up the advantage for their team. Solid team fight presence with initiation and setting up kills was what often made the difference in the fights.
Conclusion
The Summit series has always been a delight for fans with its unique perks that set it apart from other tournaments. Virtus.pro feel quite comfortable on this stage and yet again demonstrated that they are one of the best teams in the world, even without their top line-up. ArtStyle stepping in as a player did not impact the team negatively in any way – on the contrary, Virtus.pro looked as solid as ever. The team will finish the year with the taste of victory in their mouths and look like an increasingly strong proposition to claim The International 2018 crown next summer.
