Consistently strong - these two words sum up Virtus.pro pretty well. As one of the very few Dota 2 teams that remained unchanged after The International 5, they may very well be the most prepared team ahead of the festivities at the Madison Square Garden Theater and they have a great shot at winning their first ESL One trophy.
The team’s first attempt at ESL One glory was foiled by Evil Geniuses in the semifinals of ESL One Frankfurt earlier this year. Now ESL One at New York Super Week will offer VP a road for revenge. While it’s the first time in New York for most of the team, their captain fng will be returning to a familiar sight (albeit wearing different colors as his previous trip to the Big Apple was with the old Na’Vi squad). On the topic of returns, the matchup between Virtus.pro and Vega Squadron is one to look forward to. Former VP offlaner Mag, who now plays for Vega, will surely be fired up to play against his old squad, so we can definitely look forward to those games.
Overall, Virtus.pro are a tough nut to crack for any team, mostly due to the fact that their picks are so versatile. They don’t just simply follow the current meta game - they also stick to their own signature style and heroes. Will that Earthshaker be support or offlane? Is that Rubick for fng or Lil? Do you have to ban signature Illidan heroes like Slark and Silencer? Their unpredictability makes them an incredibly fun team to watch as they have so many weapons in their arsenal.
| Position | Player | Most played heroes (patch 6.84) |
| Carry | Illidan |
   |
| Mid | God |
   |
| Offlane | DkPhobos |
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| Support | Lil |
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| Support | Fng |
  |
Matchups against other attendees
Virtus.pro have a very good overall track record against the other confirmed teams at ESL One at New York Super Week. Only Evil Geniuses seem to be something of a bogeyman for the CIS squad. However, it remains to be seen whether that will still be the case in New York, considering EG underwent some changes to their roster (unlike VP, who are sticking to their guns).
Evil Geniuses
- 0-2 at ESL One Frankfurt 2015
- 0-3 at Dota Pit League Season 3
- 1-1 at The International 5 group stage
Team Secret
- 2-1 at The International 5
- 0-1 at ESL One Frankfurt 2015 seeding matches
CDEC Gaming
-
2-0 at The International 5
Fnatic
- 1-0 at The International 5
- 1-1 at joinDOTA MLG Pro League
Vega Squadron
- 3-1 at Esportal Dota 2 League
- 1-1 at DreamLeague Season 3
Can Virtus.pro carry on their form into the new season? Get your ticket today and be there live at the Madison Square Garden Theater to find out! Don’t forget to follow @ESLDota2, your source of all the latest information regarding ESL One at New York Super Week.
You can also find our other team previews here:
