Match in focus: Virtus.pro vs. MOUZ

Virtus.pro's roll-of-the-dice decision to swap players mid-tournament puts a spin on what was already a highly anticipated matchup.

While Natus Vincere and FaZe have delivered on expectations at the BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR A so far, the two other heavy favorites of the tournament cannot say the same. In a surprising turn and in what is by many seen as the much weaker of the two EU RMRs, Virtus.pro and MOUZ are now on the verge of elimination and are slated to battle it out in a must-win match after they went 1-2 on the first two days of play.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR A
08/04/2023	Virtus.pro 13:15 MOUZ	Match

MOUZ started their RMR campaign against B8 and were convincingly beaten on Ancient, before bouncing back against SAW on the same map. They then met with Falcons on the second day and did not turn up, winning just two gun rounds on their way to an 8-16 loss on Vertigo, a map they aren't particularly known for.

Likewise, Virtus.pro convincingly defeated SAW to start their tournament with a victory, but that was as good as it got as they lost two close-fought games against B8 and Into the Breach to stare down the barrel of elimination.

n0rb3r7 returns to the server for VP's do-or-die clash

The lackluster form of both teams has had a noticeable impact on the individual performances of their players. David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský entered the tournament as the fifth highest-rated player among the top 30 teams in 2023 with a rating of 1.19, but has seen that number drop to 1.10. Jon "⁠JDC⁠" de Castro has also struggled, with an average rating of just 0.86 which ranks him among the lowest performers at the RMR. Dorian "⁠xertioN⁠" Berman has been the lone standout for MOUZ, boasting a rating of 1.24, which puts him in the top five players overall at the Major-qualification event.

On the Virtus.pro side, Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali's form has been a cause for concern, as the usually reliable AWPer has yet to recover from his sub-par level since ESL Pro League Season 17. Meanwhile, Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev has shown solid consistency despite his teams' struggles and is far and away the best performer at 1.23, with the only other player in the green being Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin.

KaiR0N- will however not play in the upcoming match after Virtus.pro made the shock and unprecedented decision to replace the 19-year-old mid-tournament. Instead, David "⁠n0rb3r7⁠" Danielyan is set to step inside the server for the first time since the BLAST Premier World Final nearly four months ago, raising questions of just how desperate the team might be considering the risks of ring rust.

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Virtus.pro swap out Kair0N- for n0rb3r7: "Young players do not immediately adapt to the pressure of LAN events"

Virtus.pro and MOUZ are certainly no strangers to each other, having clashed three times before at the IEM Rio Major in November. Still with n0rb3r7 on the roster, the team then playing under the Outsiders tag emerged victorious in both best-of-three matches and knocked MOUZ out of the semifinals on their path to claiming the Major championship, while their opponents' solitary victory came in the opening round of the Challengers Stage.

With the pressure mounting and their backs against the wall, both teams will be looking to put their best foot forward and put their disappointing start to the tournament behind them. A win here will not only keep their Major hopes alive but also boost their confidence and give them momentum as they go into another elimination game in the 2-2 pool on Sunday.