Despite the results speaking to a dominant performance, the champions of Autumn Brawl, Virtus Pro, actually had a tough time closing out their opponents.
The recently formed NoPangolier pushed Virtus to the brink in both the first and second games on Sunday before the long matches took their toll in game three. The ragtag group of players fought their way to the finals as a non-seeded team behind strong showings from Bakyt “Zayac” Emilzhanov.
Virtus—a team that has been at the forefront of competitive Dota 2 for quite a while—staged a comeback to win game one, which lasted 70 minutes and went down to the wire. Game two was a little shorter—in the 50 minute range—and seemed to have no clear leader until Virtus pushed for an impressive late push to take it.
Both Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko were huge in the series, but especially in the crucial second game as they took a commanding 2-0 lead.
By game three the length of the games and lack of success seemed to weigh on NoPangolier while Virtus put everything behind their momentum to plow their way to a decisive 20-minute win that clinched their 3-0 finals victory.
Since they were invited, Virtus got to bypass round one of the playoffs. They defeated Team Spirit 2-0 in round two and Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1 in the semifinals.
NoPangolier also had an impressive run to the finals, beating ESPADA 2-0, the new look Gambit Esports roster 2-0 and Natus Vincere’s revamped team 2-1.
Virtus Pro’s next tournament is ESL One Hamburg from Oct. 23 to 28.
