CIS Dota Is Owning Right Now

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the CIS region have multiple dominant teams that can go head to head with the best competitors in Europe and win consecutive events. Recently, Natus Vincere took a 3 – 0 win over OG in the Grand Final of OGA Dota PIT Season 4, just one week after Virtus.pro had done a similar thing in the Grand Final of EPIC League Division 1.

The Rise of Natus Vincere

Nobody was talking about Na’Vi (in Dota 2 at least) until the organization acquired the entire FlyToMoon roster at the end of September (2020). Since then, RodjER’s team finished 4^th at OGA Dota PIT S3, 2^nd at ESL One Germany 2020, 5^th – 6^th at EPIC League Division 1, and 1^st at OGA Dota PIT S4. Given the level of competition that exists in Europe and CIS, these results are spectacular.

Na’Vi looked like a powerful team from day 1. As soon as their new roster arrived, it was obvious that they were going to do important things again in Dota. Keep in mind, this is the organization that won the first International and played in 3 consecutive Grand Finals at this famous event, something no other team has managed to do. So to see them back in form and challenging the giants of Europe brings back great memories.

The next Dota Pro Circuit is right around the corner. If Na’Vi continues to train hard and maintain their good performance, they will probably have a lot of success in 2021.

The Rise of Virtus.pro

Virtus.pro’s story is almost identical to Na’Vi’s. The organization was struggling, and then they realized that their academy team, VP.Prodigy, was much stronger than the main lineup. And they simply decided to release Solo’s squad and give the hungry youngsters an opportunity to prove themselves. And that’s exactly what they did.

At the recent EPIC League Division 1, a tournament with a prize pool of $500,000, Virtus.pro won the Group Stage with 7 wins and 2 losses and then went on to win the Playoffs as well, without losing a single match. Their Grand Final against OG was difficult and needed 5 games to conclude, but in the end they won. In the process of claiming this important trophy, VP defeated the best teams in Europe: Team Secret, Vikin.gg, OG, and many more.

Upcoming Season

Going into 2021 and the next season of Dota Pro Circuit, CIS Dota looks better than ever. Of course, it will be difficult for the current Virtus.pro and Na’Vi rosters to rival what the past rosters that represented these organizations achieved in the past, but the opportunity exists and odds of success are high.

 

Photo credit: Valve