Dota 2 pros are crazy for Apex Legends, even during event drafts

gabhernandez Published 28/02/2019

The Apex Legends hype has caught up to some of the best Dota 2 players in the world.

The battle royale game was released in February and was an instant hit. The free-to-play game was downloaded 25 million times in its first week and seems poised to contest Fortnite’s dominance in the battle royale space. Now joining the growing action are Dota 2 pros Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko and Pavel “9pasha” Khvastunov.

The Virtus.pro players have already been seen playing Apex Legends during Dota 2 competitions, such as in the group stage of MDL Macau. No[o]ne and 9pasha were still playing the game in the middle of their drafting phase against Chinese opponent EHOME.

https://clips.twitch.tv/VivaciousInnocentSashimiNerfRedBlaster

The panelists had a few laughs at the incident, while some fans criticized the team for not taking the competition seriously. The event was not a part of the Dota Pro Circuit.

Virtus.pro general manager Roman Dvoryankin posted a playful statement in Twitter saying that first two members of the organization’s Apex Legends roster had now been revealed.

Ilya “Lil” Ilyuk, a former Virtus.pro player, questioned if the team was really playing to honor its fans or just for its own fun. Dvoryankin was quick to respond, reminding fans of the simmering feud between Lil and his former Virtus.pro teammates.

The game in question went well enough for Virtus.pro, as they dominated EHOME.  No[o]ne’s Outworld Devourer claimed the highest net worth in the game while managing a 9/2/8 KDA. 9pasha also found his stride with a final stat line of 7/1/12.

Virtus.pro clearly outplayed their opponents, holding the net worth advantage throughout the match. Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev’s impressive play on Phantom Lancer also played a huge role in the win.

Still, the team’s ultimate group stage result was disappointing as they seventh out of only eight teams. The Virtus.pro players were able to somewhat redeem themselves with a third-place finish on the main stage in Macau, but some of the team’s fans are still wondering about the squad’s dedication given their apparent split in attention.

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