Virtus.pro are headed to TI12 after maneuvering past One Move and NAVI

The bear is back! Virtus.pro are headed to The International 2023 in Seattle, Washington, after defeating key rivals Natus Vincere and One Move in the Eastern Europe Qualifier. VP secured their spot after a hard-fought series of matches culminating in a 3-0 victory in the Grand Final on Saturday, August 26.

Defeating surprise finalist One Move, Virtus.pro demonstrated a dominance of the region that had eluded them during the main season of the DPC. With Team Spirit, BetBoom Team, and 9Pandas locked for TI12 already, it seemed like there would only be a few challengers for the EEU spot.

Ahead of the tournament, many felt NAVI would be that squad, handing Virtus.pro their only lost match of the qualifier in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. But NAVI would fall to a surprising surge from One Move, the organization founded out of the former Gambit Esports roster. Ultimately, only one team could make it to TI12 with EEU’s remaining spot, and Virtus.pro weren’t about to let it be anyone but them make it. 

The young squad, consisting of Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov, Ilya “squad1x” Kuvaldin, Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko, Oleg “sayuw” Kalenbet, and the lone veteran captain Arsiom “Fng” Barshak, will now have to contend with only one other obstacle on their way to TI12: Obtaining visas. With four Russian nationals on the squad, like many of the EEU teams, a trip to Washington, USA, might prove difficult thanks the the bureaucracy of travel. 

Stick with esports.gg for more TI12 and Dota 2 news as the pinnacle of the Dota season continues!