Only two weeks after ESL One Katowice concluded, the Dota 2 community had the chance to enjoy yet another Major, this time in Bucharest.
The organisers introduced some changes for this event, the main one being the use of the Swiss format during the Group Stage. This meant teams had to fight a lot harder because only the top eight would get a piece of the prize money, with only the top four picking up DPC points.
Ultimately, it came as no surprise that the tournament favourites Virtus.pro triumphed to secure their second consecutive Major, along with 750 DPC points and $500,000 prize money.
Another Major, another win
In the tricky best-of-one stage, Virtus.pro started off on the wrong foot with defeat to OpTic Gaming. However, they then bounced back by securing three consecutive victories over LFY, Na’Vi and TNC, which earned them a spot in the Playoffs.
In the quarter-finals, Virtus.pro got a chance for revenge against OpTic Gaming and this time there were no mistakes as they secured a flawless 2-0 win. This saw them set up a semi-final against the other big favourites, TI7 champions Team Liquid, who had already eliminated EG. Both teams won a game before the Russian team clinched the decider in a little over 35 minutes.
A total domination
The final obstacle were the tournament’s dark horses, VGJ.Thunder, who were not expected to get this far. They had the chance to become the first Chinese team to win a Major but were heavy underdogs against the Russian team, despite only losing one game en route to the Finals.
VGJ’s strength was their late game but Virtus.pro exploited this very well. The wide pre-game expectations were met as Virtus.pro asserted their dominance from Game One. The Russians went with a mid game peaking line-up featuring the currently highly popular Gyrocopter, while VGJ.Thunder responded with Luna. While the laning stage was somewhat contested in the opening minutes, Virtus.pro soon took matters into their own hands and set a high tempo. This saw them attain an insurmountable advantage in the mid game, with VGJ.Thunder failing to adapt to the fast-paced play style of their opponents. VGJ lost the game in just under 27 minutes.
Both teams went for more flexible drafts in the second game, featuring line-ups suitable to both low and high pace. VGJ.Thunder drew an early Terrorblade, while Virtus.pro countered with a Morphling and Enchantress. In general, the game was more evenly contested, but in a similar scenario to the first game, VP were the more proactive team, dictating the tempo, the map and the fights. VGJ.Thunder held out slightly longer this time, but still did not manage to reach the late stages of the game.
VGJ.Thunder stubbornly stuck to their comfort late game picks, while Virtus.pro yet again exploited this. In Game Three, Virtus.pro went with a Broodmother line-up and managed to destroy two towers in the mid lane within six minutes. The Chinese managed to get back into the game thanks to overextensions and several good rotations on the map. VGJ’s hopes lasted until Virtus.pro managed to secure Roshan and in the subsequent game-deciding clashes, the Russians caught their opponents unprepared, inflicting heavy losses and bringing the game to its closure. In similar fashion to the previous two games, the game ended around the 30-minute mark.
The Russian powerhouse
Virtus.pro are undoubtedly the best performing team in 2018 so far, with two consecutive Majors now under their belt. The team recently made a controversial roster change (Lil out, RodjER in), but this seems to have given them the missing ingredient to help elevate their game even further.
Virtus.pro are the epitome of Russian Dota – very aggressive, high-paced and they pick heroes who are adept at ganking. Virtus.pro have adapted well to the current team fight-based meta and play a number of heroes who fit this playstyle, but they certainly do not limit themselves to them.
The team normally play proactively, with the idea of gaining the upper hand right from the laning stage. They generally prefer to be in a leading position and try to avoid playing from behind. Having established early dominance, the Russians dictate the tempo and usually inflict the killer blow during the mid game. This trend was clearly highlighted in Bucharest, with the average duration of their ten wins being 35:32 (the third shortest, behind Liquid with 33:07 and Pain Gaming who achieved 26:10 but in one win only). The team execute their strategies flawlessly, have a good sense of how a game will unfold and are strong in the drafting phase.
As Virtus.pro like to be ahead from the laning stage, this means the hero choices for their supports are ones who not only have strong lane presence, but also strong team fight presence and ganking potential. Heroes such as Sand King, Naga Siren and Disruptor were well-handled by RodjER and Solo in this regard.
RodjER usually creates lots of space for his carries to farm and is often the one initiating the attacks when his team are on the prowl. Flying left and right, he is constantly on the lookout for kills. Virtus.pro also often adopt an offensive duo lane in the offlane consisting of RodjER and 9pasha to apply early pressure to the enemy safe laner. 9pasha is quite versatile in his play style and can adapt to the needs of the team – initiator, ganker or team fight sustain core, he plays all of these roles with ease.
In alignment with the overall strategy, the two cores RAMZES666 and No[o]ne often play heroes who can fight well in the early and mid-game such as Gyrocopter, Death Prophet and Juggernaut. RAMZES666’s farm is crucial and whenever he does not have a good farming game, the team tend to struggle. No[o]ne is one of the best mid laners out there and does not usually have trouble winning his lane. Both players gave the crowd something to cheer in the Finals as RAMZES666 had some incredible solo kills, while No[o]ne did not die once in Games One and Two.
Virtus.pro strong TI8 contenders
Two consecutive Major wins this year is a record that speaks for itself. The Russians are the most impressive Dota 2 team right now and are definitely looking like the ones to beat. With this win, the team have pretty much already secured their spot for The International 2018 provided no roster changes are made. Virtus.pro impressed in Katowice and shone even more in Bucharest, particularly with their dominant display in the Finals. The outfits are shaping up as one of the TI8 favourites and we are likely to see them lift more trophies before we get there.
