Virtus Pro are the 3rd team to secure their invite to TI10 following a dominant run in the CIS DPC
The kings of CIS have returned to their throne. Following a dominant series against Winstrike, Virtus Pro are now the back-to-back champions for the CIS DPC, finishing with a 7-0 score. This brings their overall series score in the DPC Regional League to a perfect 14-0 - a feat that no other team from any region has been able to replicate.
After their disappointing 7th-8th place finish in the Singapore Major, many fans wondered where the monsters of Season 1's CIS DPC had gone. To the dismay of their competitors, Virtus Pro came back in Season 2 with even more tenacity.
A look back at Virtus Pro's run in Season 2 of CIS DPC
VP kicked off their season in a match against fellow Singapore Major attendees AS Monaco Gambit. Among the ranks of ASMG was none other than Vladimir "No[o]ne" Minenko, VP's previous mid-laner.
While Gambit got crushed by Beastmaster in Game 1, Gambit knocked VP back down a peg with their Io-Gyro combo to take Game 2. This would be one of the only two games VP would drop in the entire league. Gambit's mistake though was thinking that they could fool VP twice in a row. They picked the same combo in Game 3, but this time VP were prepared.
From there, they claimed back-to-back 2-0 wins, in stomps against PuckChamp and Team Unique. This was also the beginning of Danil "gpk-" Skutin's world record equaling deathless streak.
Next up was Virtus Pro's second real challenge, up against Natus Vincere. They had just signed Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev, another ex-VP player. Unfortunately for Na`Vi, VP would spend the entire series bullying RAMZES666 relentlessly, and secured themselves another 2-0 victory.
It was clear at that point that VP were on a warpath, as they smashed EXTREMUM 2-0 as well. Unfortunately for gpk-, his immortal spell had run out - as he suffered a death in the second game.
Up ahead though, was their biggest challenge yet. Team Spirit, who rivalled their 5-0 score going into their match-up would take them to the brink. In a Game 3 that saw Team Spirit inches away from an upset, VP managed to hold the fort and snatch the victory away after a questionable final few moments from their opponents.
With their fiercest competition dealt with - the newly Division One minted Winstrike stood no chance against Virtus Pro. VP ended the regional league completely unbeaten.
Which other teams have qualified for TI?
Apart from Virtus Pro from the CIS DPC, Evil Geniuses have also gathered enough DPC points for a TI10 invite. Alongside them, Singapore Major Champions Invictus Gaming have also secured their spot. Team Secret and Alliance trail closely behind them, and are likely contenders barring unexpected results.
With many of the Regional Leagues drawing to a close in the coming week, we will soon have a better idea of the likely invites from each of the 6 regions.
Regardless of the end result, there's still tons of exciting Dota 2 to watch in the coming week. With potential tie-breakers as well, the stakes have never been higher.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for all your Dota 2 and DPC news.