ElectroNic in Virtus.pro: A Detailed Analysis of the Transfer and VP’s Future.
The day after the conclusion of IEM Chengdu 2024, the Counter-Strike world woke up to unexpected and resounding news – Denis electroNic Sharipov transferred from Cloud9 to Virtus.pro. Many thought it was a belated April Fools’ joke and tried to find confirmation in official sources. But the paradox was that the news came from the most credible sources – the clubs’ official social media platforms. The CS community had become accustomed to high-profile transfers with leaks from various insiders. This might indicate that the transfer happened almost instantly and most likely even without any trials. Let’s delve into what happened and try to assess one of the most significant moves of 2024.
Transfer History
Let’s start from the distant year of 2022 when Marek YEKINDAR Galinskis left Virtus.pro as one of the best entry fraggers in CS:GO. VP’s gameplay already had a clear structure, but the Latvian served as “controlled chaos”, essential for executing Jame’s global strategies. This role was later taken over by FL1T, and potential changes were known in advance, so YEKINDAR passed on all his knowledge in his positions and prepared his successor.
After Marek’s departure, Timur buster Tulepov also left the team, and in their place came n0rb3r7 and fame. The resulting roster sensationally won the IEM Rio Major 2022, but even after the victory, Captain Bears was not satisfied with the current state of affairs in the team. In early 2023, VP signed the young sharpshooter KaiR0N and sent n0rb3r7 to the bench. The community was puzzled and did not understand why the Major champions were making such risky changes. Alexander KaiR0N Anashkin was supposed to take on the role of the “killer” and become a projection of YEKINDAR. Jame desperately needed a player of this caliber and was willing to take a risk. Ultimately, this risk cost Virtus.pro a spot in the last CS:GO Major in Paris. KaiR0N’s contract was terminated, and n0rb3r7 returned to the lineup during an RMR tournament.
The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 ended, and the transfer market became highly active. Many top teams failed miserably at that tournament and were forced to make reshuffles. Rumors circulated that NAVI’s duo, electronic and Perfecto, were leaving the team and looking for a new organization. Virtus.pro had long dreamed of electronic, as he was one of the best players in the role that Jame desperately needed to fill. There were no official confirmations of contacts between Denis and VP, but after the duo’s move from NAVI to Cloud9, CEO Bears gave an interview where he said the following:
“We have determined for ourselves that to achieve the best sporting results, we are ready for a high-profile transfer of a world-class star even for a seven-digit sum in dollars. And this seven-digit figure is not a million, but more.
We had one option, but unfortunately, there was a desire to transfer as a tandem. And considering all the internal agreements with the team and the players, we needed only one player.” – Nikolai Petrossian
It was clear who this tandem was, and it was clear that at that moment, the team decided to play with a roster of Jame, fame, FL1T, and n0rb3r7. Ultimately, Qikert was replaced by mir, whom VP retrieved from a year-long hiatus.
In this lineup, the team spent 9 months and won several tier-2 tournaments. It was evident they were playing well, but this dish lacked spices. On April 15, 2024, the role of this spice was entrusted to electroNic, with expectations of receiving a Michelin-star delicacy level player.
The Appropriateness of the Replacement and Thoughts on Virtus.pro's Future.
After such a high-profile transfer, the community immediately began to speculate that VP had made an incredible deal.
“electroNic was arguably the only stable player in C9 during a very difficult period. Jame lacked hardcore world-class entry fraggers after YEKINDAR’s departure. Now he has signed one to his team, possibly one of the most influential players of his kind. What a sensation for VP!” – analyst and former pro player PIMP
On paper, everything looks really great. Just look at the positions mir and electroNic played in their respective lineups. There are almost coincidences on every map, and the differences can only be found in specific spots, not roles. It’s also worth noting that as a T-side player, mir often played the role of a free spirit, which suits Denis Sharipov perfectly.
There are countless positive aspects for the current VP lineup: increased firepower, added experience and championship mentality, enhanced media presence and attention to the club, and so on. Also, electroNic is accustomed to playing the role of the second caller in VP, which is crucial for Jame’s team. Previously, this role was fulfilled by YEKINDAR, Qikert, and until recently, FL1T. There’s no feeling that the latter was well-suited for this role, and as far as it’s known, he performs it more out of necessity and desperation. However, perhaps the Achilles’ heel of this roster lies in its chemistry and teamwork.
Many point out that VP’s extremely slow and sluggish style won’t suit Denis, and he simply won’t be able to adapt. People started recalling his interview from a year ago, where he said he hated playing against VP and wanted to “tear his hair out” in matches against Jame. But playing as an opponent and being part of the system are different things. And if VP’s style annoys opponents, then it’s effective, and the lack of results is more related to the quality of execution rather than the idea itself. Pro players and analysts often speak highly of the team’s level of preparation, so the arrival of such a star and experienced player could be a necessary addition to this mechanism.
So what’s next for Virtus.pro? Our forecast is that the lineup will remain in this form at least until the next Major in China, and beyond that, it depends on the results and various external factors. The reasons are very simple:
- Jame, fame, and FL1T signed long-term contracts last year for 4 years. The organization has long bet on this stack and has fixed it on paper for the players’ confidence and peace of mind.
- n0rb3r7 has shown excellent form in recent tournaments. Also, VP owes David for the failed decision to transfer him to the bench. That decision set the club back, and David patiently waited for a chance to return to the main lineup.
- electroNic needs time to adapt, and no one will rush to make hasty decisions.
- The team needed only +1 last summer, and these “agreements” within the organization are unlikely to be violated.
The resulting VP roster looks really strong. Some of the strongest shooters in CS2 – FL1T and fame, electroNic in the role of a free spirit, n0rb3r7 in supportive roles, and captain-sniper Jame. Most importantly, Denis joins an already established structure with specific roles assigned to him. This doesn’t look like buying a star player for the sake of the name, but rather completing a missing puzzle piece. Remember the sh1ro transfer to Team Spirit, where a stable and quality academy player – ArtFr0st – was replaced. That transfer allowed the Dragons to reach a new level and proved to be fully justified. Isn’t electroNic in VP a similar case? Interestingly, both of these transfers are from Cloud9, whose fate requires separate analysis. The Cloud9 roster also looked very strong and promising, but there was no coherence from the start, and then the team faced a series of replacements that led them into a dead end. Here the situation is completely different and more reminiscent of Team Spirit’s story.
The final assessment of the transfer – 9/10, where one point remains in case of complete failure, which would make this assessment 1/10. Experience, skill, media presence, weakening of competitors – all these factors have been thoroughly discussed above.
You can catch VP’s first matches in the updated lineup very soon, on April 23 in ESL Pro League Season 19.