Veteran Dota 2 team Virtus.pro upsets reigning The International (TI) 2019 champion OG in ESL One Los Angeles European and CIS league 2020.
In a surprising turn of events, Russian Dota 2 squad Virtus.pro managed to overcome back-to-back TI champion OG and take home the US$60,000 [AU$93,934] ESL One Los Angeles grand prize.
The series went down to the wire as both teams were tied at 2-2 coming into the fifth and final match. Virtus.pro managed to secure the tiebreaker earning them the 3-2 Grand Finals win.
Game 1
Virtus.pro was off to a strong start as they were able to completely shut down OG’s Syed “SumaiL” Hassan’s Terrorblade in the early game limiting him to an abysmal two kills and nine deaths by the end of the match.
Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok’s was absolutely unstoppable with his Axe pick as he put his team on his back and carried them to victory in an amazing 18/3/12 performance that OG simply had no answer for.
The opening game in the series ended in a 38-13 victory for Virtus.pro as OG conceded in little under 34 minutes.
GG WP! @virtuspro secure Game 1 against @OGesports in this BO5 Grand Finals! #ESLOne
https://t.co/RUTJQihdBh pic.twitter.com/IUDnayrT4f
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) April 19, 2020
Game 2
Not one to wallow in self-pity, SumaiL rolled up his sleeves and went to work with Ember Spirit, a hero that he’s a lot more known for. A stellar early game by SumaiL allowed him to completely decimate Virtus.pro’s lineup leaving him with a 10/1/13 stat-line by the end of the match.
Virtus.pro’s Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko and Resolut1on badly lost the middle and off-lanes making the rest of the game painfully lopsided in OG’s favor.
Game two would end in a 26-4 victory for OG with Virtus.pro calling “GG” just before the 30-minute mark.
OH NOOO
The Black Hole is whiffed and @virtuspro immediately call the GG!Game 3 is on the way! #ESLOne
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) April 19, 2020
Game 3
Riding the highs of the last game, SumaiL went for a risky middle lane Morphling pick which nearly cost OG the match. Virtus.pro’s Neta “33” Shapira gave SumaiL a tough time in the early game, but he was luckily able to bounce back with a string of kills later on.
After SumaiL racked up enough farm for a Manta Style and Ethereal Blade, OG easily steamrolled over Virtus.pro’s lineup for another strong finish.
The third game in the series ended 27-18 in favor of OG, with Virtus.pro surrendering in just below 27 minutes.
That was a fast one! @OGesports are showing no mercy against @virtuspro as they now lead the series 2-1!
Our next game might also be the last!
#ESLOne
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) April 19, 2020
Game 4
With OG on match point, things were getting desperate for Virtus.pro. Fortunately enough for them, No[o]ne decided it was his turn to carry the team.
With his Templar Assassin pick, No[o]ne had his revenge on SumaiL and then some, despite SumaiL selecting Storm Spirit—one of his favorite Dota 2 heroes. No[o]ne ended the match with a perfect 22/0/12 stat-line.
Another stomp of a match gave Virtus.pro the equalizer with Game four lasting just under 32 minutes and ending at 45-18 for Virtus.pro.
Another HUGE fight for @virtuspro! We might be going to a Game 5 here! #ESLOne
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) April 19, 2020
Game 5
With the series on the line, the fifth and final game proved to be the closest match by far. SumaiL went back to his Ember Spirit for an impressive 15/6/14 as he preyed on Igor “iLTW” Filatov’s Bristleback during the early game.
iLTW wouldn’t stay down for long, however, as he was eventually able to recover his lost laning phase and become the tanky beast Bristleback was always meant to be.
IT’S OVER! @virtuspro are your #ESLOne Los Angeles EU and CIS League CHAMPIONS!
pic.twitter.com/e974WfsUQc
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) April 19, 2020
iLTW ‘s Bristleback, along with No[o]ne’s spectacular showing as Storm Spirit and a Dazzle and Oracle as supports, made Virtus.pro’s already tanky lineup even more tanky, allowing them to outlast OG heading into the late game.
The final match in the Grand Finals ended with a nailbiting score of 34-31, making Virtus.pro the victor right before the 50-minute mark.
Image courtesy of ESL Dota2/Twitter
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