Virtus.pro no more: a disintegrating top-tier CS:GO team

Virtus.pro have completely broken down from top to bottom over the past year, and they have become a team that is almost unrecognizable to the Polish juggernaut they used to be. It all came to a head at the FACEIT Major in London.

Paweł “byali” Bieliński has officially departed the team after Virtus.pro’s last place exit from the FACEIT Major in London. This means that only two of the five players from the longest-standing team in CS:GO history remain. Along side byali, Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas has moved on to Kinguin, and Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski has joined Mousesports. Both in one year. Not only has the core of the team dissipated to other teams, but the remaining players on Virtus.pro have looked sad literally and metaphorically.

Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski mentioned that the FACEIT Major may be his last. It has been clear that pashaBiceps has had a rough patch and clearly is not the joyful self that he previously was. He has looked completely and utterly destroyed emotionally during the course of this Major every time the camera came to him. He has also hinted in an interview with Betway that this might be his last major. Whether pashaBiceps is referring to Virtus.pro’s decline in the rankings or to retirement has yet to be confirmed. Although, it seems as if he may step down from this roster in the coming months if this continues.

The Major fallout

Deep down, the death of Virtus.pro at this Major seemed inevitable in many ways. This team has dropped from being a top 5 team who was almost always a contender at every event they attended to not even being a top 20 team that almost got relegated to advanced by Fnatic Academy. And then they got wrecked in the first stage of the FACEIT Major. Their top 20 HLTV ranking will remain unchanged, with maybe a slight move up or down depending on the other teams around them. Once the Major has a lesser effect on their HLTV rankings, then Virtus.pro will drop out of the top 30 quickly.

Then you have to find a replacement for byali and maybe pashaBiceps (if he steps down). It will be difficult to find a good long-term replacement for byali because the layout of the team is not necessarily set. By the looks of it, Virtus.pro is willing to pay for whomever they want within Poland, and the asking price probably isn’t out of VP’s range. If there is any solace for fans, it is that this team can get anyone they want.

The big issue about this entire team is that they will continue to get worse before they get better. This team must find a new identity, and if they are able to formulate a new core, then there is a chance that Virtus.pro can be born anew. Nonetheless, change is coming, and it will be telling how far the roster will go in the future.