Virtus.pro, Team Secret go undefeated in ESL One LA group stage
Virtus.pro and Team Secret have ended the ESL One Los Angeles Europe and CIS league’s group stage with perfect 7-0 records.
Virtus.pro is peaking right now. After several roster shakeups and underwhelming tournament results, the Russian team is finally bringing its A-game. The team was grouped with back-to-back The International champions OG and Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi’s Team Nigma. Despite that stiff competition, Virtus.pro posted an impressive 7-0 score in the group stage.
OG came in second with a 5-2 record. OG performed very well, considering the team competed with Neta “33” Shapira and Sébastien “Ceb” Debs as stand-ins, with Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen and Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng separated from the team due to the COVID-19 situation.
Meanwhile, Team Nigma and Vikin.gg will advance to the lower bracket playoffs. Danil “Dendi” Ishutin’s team B8 faced an early exit together with HellRaisers, Cyber Legacy, and Gambit Esports.
Team Secret finished as Group A’s top seed
As expected, Team Secret had a dominant run in Group B. The team managed to keep its original roster together despite the transition to regional online leagues.
Team Secret pulled off five 2-0 sweeps in the group stage. The team dropped single maps to Team Spirit and Chicken Fighters but came out victorious in the end. The team came in the tournament as a heavy favorite and its fans expect nothing less than a top finish.
Team Spirit surprised fans by securing an upper bracket spot. The next move for Mihail “Misha” Agatov’s team is to end the tournament in a decent spot. This is the redemption the team badly needs.
Alliance and Chicken Fighters will play for their tournament lives in the do-or-die lower bracket series. Several fan favorites had to bid goodbye, including Team Unique, Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Natus Vincere.
The ESL One Los Angeles’ combined Europe and CIS regional league was arguably the toughest battlefield among other regions. The team who will claim the tournament title can be reckoned as one of the world’s best Dota 2 team.