Na’Vi destroy Virtus Pro in the group stage at The International 2019

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Virtus Pro were devastated 2-0 by Natus Vincere today, ending their second day without a win and sorely lacking the aggression that’s a trademark of the CIS giants. VP will finish the day in the lower half of Group B, in danger of being sent to the lower bracket for the main event.

This match was a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” because Na’Vi’s drafted practically the same lineups twice. With only Vladislav “Crystallize” Krystanek’s hero differing, VP couldn’t find the solution to Na’Vi’s shape puzzle.

Na’Vi picked Ancient Apparition, Razor, Earth Spirit, and Axe in both games, all of which are signatures heroes for their players. VP never really got a foothold in either game and Na’Vi’s comfort picks allowed them to rule the map.

While VP jumped out to an early kill lead in both games, Na’Vi showcased the teamfight potential of their lineup. Na’Vi’s teamfights were like practiced simulation and the Ukrainian team simply pressed play to dominate.

VP went on a 20-minute kill drought in the first game as they struggled to find an opening against the strength of Na’Vi. Evgeniy “Blizzy” Ree’s Axe and Bakyt “Zayac“ Emilzhanov Earth Spirit provided immense crowd control, allowing Idan “MagicaL” Vardanian’s Razor and Crystallize’s Sven to pick up kills. Coupled with their captain’s Ancient Apparition, VP’s heroes simply couldn’t stand up to the overwhelming damage.

After losing game one, VP appeared determined to figure out a solution to Na’Vi. Rather than banning out specific heroes, VP tried picking a more teamfight-heavy draft with Earthshaker and Phoenix. Again, VP appeared to be doing well initially, but Na’Vi were simply biding their time.

While the four heroes were less effective in game two, the true winner was Crystallize’s Bloodseeker. Given free rein due to his team’s powerful space creation, the Bloodseeker ended up with 16 kills. The game was over when MagicaL managed to buy a Refresher, shredding buildings with his ultimate.

This series has made Group B truly unpredictable since most fans didn’t expect VP to be as low as they are. Having lost all of their games on the second day, VP will finish with a record of 3-5. The championship hopefuls will have to improve their performance over the next two days if they want to start their run in the upper bracket.

Na’Vi had a phenomenal second day and have guaranteed themselves the third spot in their group. The Ukrainian squad only recently changed their roster and are playing with renewed vigor at TI9. Na’Vi will definitely be a team to look out for over the next two days.

Stay up-to-date with The International 9 group stage results and standings.