Virtus.pro were crowned IEM New York CIS champions amid some controversy. Dzhami "Jame" Ali's men did not pay attention to the murmurs and took care of business. In the final, they dispatched Nemiga Gaming 3-0.
Players of forZe imputedly dragged Virtus.pro into an argument that arose following the postponement of the Natus Vincere - forZe group game last weekend. The international squad did not give a single duck about any of that and simply went on to win the event.
Virtus.pro Champions of IEM New York CIS
Virtus.pro walked into IEM New York CIS as a strong favorite. With competition limited to the CIS region, Jame and pals clearly wanted to assert dominance, and so they did.
Finally #GOGOVP #IEM pic.twitter.com/lmD6D1eUHu
— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) October 25, 2020
A clean 5-0 group stage record meant they would enjoy a bye in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they were met by the root of the dispute - Natus Vincere and their coronavirus-infected player Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy. VP had beaten Na'Vi 2-0 in the group and the result did not change the second go-round. Na'Vi would go on to forfeit the third-place match vs Team Spirit to give Perfecto some rest.
For VP, their second victory over the CIS' top team in the span of a week resulted in a spot in the final. Somewhat surprisingly, their opponents there were Nemiga Gaming. The Belarus core had gone from the quarterfinals all the way to the final with impressive 2-0 Ws over forZe and Spirit.
In the final itself, they would be the ones to not win a map, however. Nemiga's big chance to make this a match came on the third map Inferno. A tremendous CT side was all they could muster as Virtus.pro racked round after round when they moved on the defense themselves. In the end, a 12-3 Nemiga lead ended up a 16-13 VP win - a comeback that sealed the title.
IEM New York CIS Final
Virtus.pro - Nemiga Gaming
- 16 - 12 (Mirage)
- 16 - 5 (Dust2)
- 16 - 13 (Inferno)
For their efforts Virtus.pro collect $20,000 and 2,500 RMR points.
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