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Virtus.pro has appointed their anchor, Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, as the new in-game leader on September 1. The IGL spot on Virtus.pro had been vacant since VP benched Denis “electroNic” Sharipov on August 29 following a bad string of results.
Since Perfecto is taking over the captaincy, Virtus.pro didn’t have to go after a new IGL. Instead, the organization promoted the 17-year-old Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov from the academy squad to the main roster.
Over the course of the year, tOoRO has managed to average a respectable 1.12 rating. However, he only played in tier-two or tier-three tournaments, so it’s unclear if he’ll be able to replicate the same numbers against much stronger teams in tier-one.
This may prove difficult, especially because Perfecto has never been the IGL upon taking this role now in Virtus.pro. All that Perfecto has is plenty of experience and a winning mentality, after all, he was part of the victorious Natus Vincere lineup that won many tournaments between 2020 and 2022, including the PGL Stockholm Major 2021 and the Intel Grand Slam Season 3 in the same year.
But, Virtus.pro seems confident that Perfecto and tOoRo are the right men for the slump they find themselves in.
Can Perfecto improve Virtus.pro until the StarLadder Budapest Major? Credit: Adam Lakomy | © BLAST
Virtus.pro commented on both moves in separate statements to the media today, September 1. This is what the organization had to say about Perfecto becoming the IGL and tOoRO replacing electroNic:
After thorough discussions within the team, we unanimously agreed that Perfecto is the best candidate for the role of captain and will take on IGL duties in the upcoming tournaments.
We are confident that his vast professional experience, deep understanding of the game, and leadership qualities will help stabilize the team’s play and results!
Over the past few weeks, the club has been testing players from the academy roster in search of the best fit. TOoRO impressed in the anchor role, and for now the choice has fallen on him.
This change will likely see Perfecto move on to more aggressive positions, which is also new for him. Typically, the IGLs take more sacrificial roles to make space for the rest of the pack and allow the star players to shine in late-round situations.
But nobody can blame Virtus.pro for benching electroNic after a dismal start to the second half of the season. It became clear that the team was never going to make deep runs as long as electroNic was in charge.
Virtus.pro will play their first tournament with Perfecto as the IGL and tOoRO as the anchor next week, at FISSURE Playground 2 in Belgrade, Serbia. The $1.25 million event also features some of the best CS2 teams in the world, such as The MongolZ, Aurora, FURIA, FaZe, and Falcons.
Feature image credit: © Virtus.pro
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