Virtus Pro are triumphant once again at a Dota 2 Major. Earlier today, they lifted the trophy at ESL One Katowice, taking home $400,000 in prize money as well as 750 Pro Circuit points in total.
To accomplish this task, they defeated Chinese hopefuls Vici Gaming 3-1 in absolutely dominant fashion.
The first two maps ended in less than 30 minutes each, with the potent Gryocopter/Omniknight combo serving VP well. The true star of the show in the first two games, however, was new recruit Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosyan, who proved to the world that he is indeed ready to play in the big leagues with his downright awe-inspiring play at the utility support role.
Although his plays weren’t extremely flashy, his multi-man stuns with Earthshaker and Nyx Assassin looked crisp and clean nonetheless.
VG bounced back in the third game thanks to Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang’s mind-boggling performance on Puck, where he scored around 50 last hits in the mid lane before the five-minute mark passed. This placed him far ahead of everyone else in terms of net worth, before carry player Zhang “Paparazi” Chengjun caught up on Terrorblade.
It was after game three that VP decided to throw the hammer down and stop toying with their food. To no one’s surprise, RodjER was the difference maker once again, keeping his team in fighting condition through every teamfight with Chen. Hands down, he was the best player in the tournament (with Ori coming in at a fairly close second)—and surely everyone will agree that he deserves the Mercedes-Benz MVP title and the car that comes along with it.
This is the second Major that VP have won this season, the first being ESL One Hamburg late last year. If there are any doubts remaining in the pro scene about their consistency and skill, they have certainly been crushed and cast aside by this result.
But of course, their work is not yet done. The Russian team will fly over to Romania in just a few days to participate in the PGL Bucharest Major. There, they will have yet another opportunity to extend their lead over the rest of the pack in the Pro Circuit, as well as grab some more cash to line their pockets with.
