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Virtus pro Dota 2 Team Review

Virtus Pro is a legendary team that needs no introduction. Their stellar peak came in the second half of the 2010s, when they battled fiercely with OG for global dominance in the Dota 2 scene. Of course, VP isn’t just about Dota 2: the club also boasts the renowned Virtus Pro CS2, a Major winner, and over a dozen rosters in other games! However, it’s Dota that has become this Russian club’s trump card, forever cementing their name among esports legends.

In our new MelBet Pick’em review, we’ll explore how Virtus Pro team is faring today, after leaving Tier 1, and whether they have a chance of a comeback.

Virtus.pro History

The club’s roster for this legendary MOBA dates back to 2006, making Virtus Pro one of the few teams that survived the original DotA. And not only survived, but also achieved fame – in the 2000s, team Virtus was considered one of the strongest teams in the world after winning the prestigious MYM Prime Defending three times.

The Russian team’s golden era began in 2016-2018. Back then, VP Dota 2 shaped the meta, and their record of five Major tournament wins remains a dream for many top teams today. Virtus Pro Dota 2 lost some steam in the 2020s, but today they’ve reassembled a super-strong roster and are making another attempt to return to Tier 1.

Virtus.pro Founders

The club was founded in 2003 in Russia. In the 2000s, Irina “Runcha” Semenova was the main face of VP, and in the 2010s, Anton “Sneg1” Cherepennikov took over. He is considered the “architect of Virtus Pro’s greatness.” In the late 2010s, the team was acquired by large Russian businesses — ESforce Holding, then VK. In 2022, the club was sold to formally de-Russianize it. Armenian businessman Aram Karamanukyan became the new Virtus Pro owner.

Virtus.pro Initial Roster

Virtus Pro’s first DotA players were Vigoss, NS, JoliE, Admiration, and ARS-ART. It was a solid roster — it achieved a high ranking in the Eastern European scene and performed well internationally. The team won three consecutive MYM PriDe tournaments, and in 2007-2008, it reached several ASUS Open Cup finals.

After the 2012 relaunch (Virtus Pro went on hiatus for several years due to financial issues), things initially went more awry in the new, second version of the game. The following players joined the new team:

But a stable team never formed—the first changes occurred within a month. The 2012-2014 period is generally considered the most unsuccessful in the entire history of the Virtus Pro Dota 2 roster. Everything changed only in 2015—the team first took first place in several Tier 1 tournaments, and then reached the quarterfinals of The International 5.

Virtus.pro Current Roster

In the fall of 2025, the team was completely rebooted. For the first time in its history, the Virtus Pro Dota 2 roster was assembled in an unconventional way – the majority of the roster was made up of players from outside the CIS. The current lineup is extremely ambitious – it features top pros from around the world, drawn from various teams:

There are no veteran Virtus Pro Dota 2 players on this list – all of them joined in 2025, except for Antares, who had already signed with the club in 2024. For the first time in so many years, the club’s management has assembled such a diverse group of players: Peruvian Timado, a former member of TSM, Filipino Abed, a successful player of Evil Geniuses, and Fly, known to everyone as the founder of the legendary OG.

The coach is also, for the first time, not from Russia. Since September 2025, the position has been held by Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale, an Indian coach from the USA who successfully worked with Evil Geniuses from 2017-2022. Whether he will be able to establish effective cooperation between the star veterans of the global Dota 2 scene remains a major mystery. Apparently, this is the last major reform that will determine whether the team can return to the top echelon or forever become an example of its former greatness.

Virtus.pro Tournament Achievements

The VP Dota 2 team’s main achievement is their fantastic winning streak at Major tournaments:

Virtus.pro is also remembered for its consistent bad luck at The Internationals – in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021, they reached their peak (5th-6th place), but failed to reach the semifinals. However, each such “failure” earned them over $1,000,000 in prize money.

Virtus.pro Legends

Virtus.pro Dota 2 has had many captains over the years, but the best was undoubtedly Aleksei “Solo” Berezin, who played from 2016 to 2020. A smart and calculating Full Support player, he established iron discipline within his team – commanding harshly yet fairly, possessing a keen psychological sense. In Russia, he was nicknamed “the chief strategist of the post-Puppey (*Team Secret player) era.”

His subordinate, carry Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev, was no less talented. Young, charismatic, and emotional, he wasn’t just one of the strongest players in Eastern Europe—he was the media face of Virtus Pro Dota 2 (which earned him the 2018 AdIndex Awards for Esports Influencers). Combined with his teammates and Solo’s precise control, his energy simply overwhelmed his opponents.

Virtus.pro Upcoming Tournaments

In September, VP Dota 2 Unit successfully qualified for DreamLeague Season 27, meaning we’ll see them at this Tier 1 event in December. The last time Virtus Pro Dota 2 Unit qualified for a DreamLeague Dota 2 tournaments was in Season 22, where they only finished 9th-12th. So now, with a new roster of top veterans, they have a chance to restore their reputation and prove they’re still going strong.

FAQ

When was Virtus.pro founded?

The club was founded back in 2003. The history of its participation in Dota events can be divided into two periods: the era of the first DotA (2006 – 2008), and the history of the current Dota 2 team, which was re-created in 2012 and continues to exist to this day.

What is the current Virtus.pro Dota 2 roster?

As of October 2025, VP Dota 2 roster is international for the first time, featuring three veterans of top non-Russian teams: Enzo “Timado” Gianoli, Abed “Abed” Yusop, and Tal “Fly” Aizik. The team also includes Russians Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin and Vladislav “Antares” Kertman.

What is Virtus.pro’s position in the global Dota 2 ranking?

Virtus Pro Dota 2 is ranked 24th in the world and 12th in the European rankings, according to Ensigame. Escorenews placed the team 22nd, but they climbed to 12th in ESL Pro Tour Season 3.

Who is the captain of Virtus.pro?

Following the Virtus Pro Dota 2 lineup update in the fall of 2025, Israeli Tal “Fly” Aizik, the founder of OG, became the new captain. After leaving his hometown team, he played for Evil Geniuses, Shopify Rebellion, and even AVULUS—and has now signed with the russian Virtus Pro.

Who is the coach of Virtus.pro?

The current coach of VP Dota 2 (since September 2025) is Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale, from the USA. His background includes several years of coaching at Evil Geniuses, and then at the Canadian Shopify Rebellion team.

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