- The organization completes its roster ahead of the ESL Pro League Conference Season 16
- The two Russian players previously played for K23
- Virtus Pro is still recovering from bans and recent roster changes
Virtus Pro hopes to recover from the massive slump it’s currently in by signing the two former K23 players – David “n0rb3r7” Daniyelyan and Pyotr “fame” Bolyshev.
Virtus Pro Completes Its Roster
The Russian esports organization Virtus Pro has completed its CS:GO roster for the second half of the 2022 competitive season. The organization completed its revamped lineup with two Russian players – David “n0rb3r7” Daniyelyan and Pyotr “fame” Bolyshev – both coming in to replace the recently departed Timur “buster” Tulepov and Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis.
Both of the new players used to play for K23’s CS:GO team and helped the organization perform well in online tournaments like Malta Vibes Knockout Series five and Pinnacle Winter Series one. This eventually pushed the team up the ranks, finally peaking at the 14th spot in HLTV’s world rankings.
Fame and n0rb3r7’s previous team, however, did not manage to secure a spot in the PGL Antwerp Major via the European Regional Major Ranking (RMR), despite its decent performance at the online events. Eventually, K23 missed the first Valve-sponsored event of the year. The Kazakhstani organization also couldn’t qualify for IEM Dallas and ESL Challenger Valencia.
Virtus Pro Has Many Problems Recently
Both players join Virtus Pro at a difficult time for the organization. The organization has had many problems in the past few months due to the war in Ukraine. Some of its players are from Ukraine and they have not been able to play due to the disruptions caused by the war.
Additionally, the organization has been sanctioned by several tournament organizers with its apparent links to the Russian government being cited as the main reason. Virtus Pro, along with Gambit, has been banned from the Pro League 15 due to both organizations allegedly having ties to the Russian state.
Virtus Pro’s CS:GO roster, however, was able to play in some recent events under the neutral name “Outsiders”. Dzhami “Jame” Ali and his team performed admirably in the Challengers Stage of the PGL Antwerp Major but had a short run in the Legends Stage, where they were eliminated with a 1-3 record.
With the acquisition of fame and n0rb3r7, Virtus Pro hopes that this will be enough to get the team out of its current slump. The new lineup is already in the Virtus Pro bootcamp to prepare for the upcoming ESL Pro League Conference Season 16, which should start on June 15.
