Founded in 2003, Virtus.Pro is a Russian esports organization most well-known for their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team.
Virtus.Pro previously sponsored a Dota 2 team. After the team’s appearance at The International 5, a string of poor results would haunt the team: after finishing Top 12 at the Shanghai Major, Virtus.Pro’s Dota 2 team failed to qualify for either The Manila Major or The International 6. The organization parted ways with the roster in June of 2016. Rumors about a new roster have circulated, but remain unconfirmed.
The organization is most well-known for their Polish CS:GO team, who have flaunted the roster-shuffle-eager conventions of the scene in favor of fielding a stable roster of teammates who have, in some cases, competed together for over a decade. The team’s current roster has remained unchanged since the beginning of CS:GO. Alongside 1.6 legends Filip “NEO” Kubiski and Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas are fan-favorite Jarosław “PashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski and other newcomers.
Virtus.Pro’s CS:GO team has an impressive resume as far as results are concerned, including a Major title at EMS One Katowice 2014, first place finishes at ESEA S18, CEVO S7, ESL/ESEA Pro League Season 1, and, most recently, emerging as the champions of the first televised CS:GO tournament, ELEAGUE. Despite impressive offline performances, the team struggles online–again, Virtus.Pro flaunts convention: most teams struggle to convert their online successes in a LAN environment, while Virtus.Pro seem to put in the minimal amount of effort needed to secure victories online and instead chooses to dedicate the majority of their time towards preparing for LANs. However, the team is still known for their inconsistency, characterized by fluctuations between outright dominance (the “Virtus Plow”) and incompetence (the “Virtus Throw) in the space of a single match or series.
