Billed as one of the teams expected to make The International 8 grand finals, Virtus Pro’s run at the event ended with a sixth-place finish after a loss to Evil Geniuses in the tournament’s lower bracket.
Although Virtus Pro started their final day at The International 8 with a victory, defeating OpTic Gaming in a 2-1 series, the team were unable to take a single game against Evil Geniuses.
The first game saw Virtus Pro fall victim to Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan, who quickly started dominating his lane with his signature hero Storm Spirit. The second game was more competitive between the two sides, but after the 15 minute mark Evil Geniuses were in constant control of the game, and ended Virtus Pro’s time at The International 8.
Their early exit from the Dota 2 world championship is guaranteed to put a damper on Virtus Pro’s inaugural Dota 2 Pro Circuit season. Having been one of the strongest Dota 2 teams throughout the circuit, winning four Valve Majors in total, Virtus Pro were considered one of the strongest teams in the entire tournament. Their loss to Evil Geniuses also shows just how quickly a team’s favor can turn once at The International. Despite a solid performance in the tournament’s group stage, it only took one slip-up in the tournament’s upper bracket for the team’s tournament life to be on the line.
Virtus Pro’s defeat also means that there will be no CIS team in the running for the Aegis of Champions in 2018, spelling the end of the region’s best shot at claiming the title in several years.
