Stat Check: VP look for starpower and unpredictability from electroNic

Virtus.pro's management have sent a message to their team and the outer world with the signing of a true superstar.

Virtus.pro have a reputation for ruthless roster moves for a reason. Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali and Dastan "⁠dastan⁠" Akbayev are operators willing to take a risk — and ones who know when it is time to cut someone loose.

Sanjar "⁠SANJI⁠" Kuliev's departure, with Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev coming in, was just one example of a risk worth taking. VP haven't been error-free, of course. Their move for Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin ended with him being removed halfway through the BLAST.tv Paris EU RMR and David "⁠n0rb3r7⁠" Danielyan flying out to replace him.

But generally, Jame and VP's management have been smart with their pick-ups. FL1T and Petr "⁠fame⁠" Bolyshev have blossomed into a terrifying rifle duo under his stewardship, far better players now than when they were signed. n0rb3r7's improvement, too, has been stark under Jame.

Signing Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov is different. Jame will not be molding the Stockholm Major champion into his system. This is a superstar ready for action, and full of his own ideas about the game that may clash with pre-existing thinking.

"For the future the sky is the limit for us in terms of ambitions on the transfer market," VP's CEO, Nikolai Petrossian, told HLTV. "Any other star player, this is a signal for each of them, that Virtus.pro is ready to push any boundaries to get that player who we feel may make our roster stronger."

That is a warning to Jame as much as it is to the rest of the scene. But, more changes may not be necessary if this change works as planned. So what are the chances it does?

Let's start with the micro. electroNic is replacing Nikolay "⁠mir⁠" Bityukov, a fairly passive player who just could not get fragging (averaging just 0.57 KPR in CS2) in VP's system as the roaming rifler: the exact role electroNic has been fulfilling for years now.

When we compare electroNic's T positions to Virtus.pro's incumbent riflers, there is barely any need for surgery. fame might move to Apps on Inferno, but other than that it is essentially a 1:1 replacement for mir.

CT side too, should be straight-forward. electroNic may get priority over FL1T in Connector on Mirage but FL1T was a B Short player for most of his career. On the other maps, electroNic can slide in with no issues at all.

We have been here before, of course. electroNic and Ilya "⁠Perfecto⁠" Zalutskiy's move to Cloud9 was one where similarly few role changes were required, but what many, including this author, overlooked in that particular superteam was leadership.

In that team, at least at first, electroNic was the makeshift IGL himself. Jame, this time, will be the chessmaster — one electroNic has praised profusely. The roles fit. The firepower is a clear upgrade. So, what could possibly go wrong?

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If we were to play devil's advocate, there are a few things Jame and dastan will have to address.

In terms of trading, electroNic fits in for mir perfectly again: He prefers to be the one trading, but is happy to bomb-site entry and is always in the thick of the action. That fits well in the same system as a player like FL1T, who takes map control as more of a lone wolf and often ends up lurking mid-round.

But electroNic is far more aggressive than mir on both sides of the map. That means the other riflers will have less room for their own plays, or to call their own moves.

On-paper positions and spots do not always show the whole picture. When Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire plays A Connector on Mirage, his main role is to support Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut and Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan on A and to fill Jungle when required. mir was not quite that supportive, and did have the capacity and room to frag better, but electroNic is a different player altogether.

That he wanted to IGL for so long shows the amount of control electroNic desires. A long-time secondary caller, this is a player willing to call his own shots. He will be active on CT side, meaning that current lieutenant FL1T may have to take a step back in his openings and how often he contributes to calling.

In a strict Jame system, it is hard to see how that dynamic, with electroNic's loud voice, will evolve.

Cloud9's superteam could not handle the weight of the clash of the Counter-Strike schools of electroNic and Perfecto with that of Konstantin "⁠groove⁠" Pikiner, Abay "⁠HObbit⁠" Khassenov, and Dmitry "⁠sh1ro⁠" Sokolov. It fell apart before it could even get going, and electroNic's arrival coincided with Sergey "⁠Ax1Le⁠" Rykhtorov and HObbit's drop in form.

VP, and electroNic, need to be wise to that. He cannot be overmighty again. FL1T must still get his room even if he is the third loudest voice now.

In playing devil's advocate, however, we should not lose sight of what a boon signing a four-time top 10 player in the world is for Virtus.pro. Snatching him from Cloud9, one of their main regional rivals, only makes it sweeter.

A fragging trio of electroNic, FL1T, and fame is terrifying enough even without n0rb3r7's evolution into one of the highest-performing anchors in the game.

At the same time, it would be naive to not frame it as a challenge for Jame, who is used to an autocratic level of control over players who, by and large, he has taught how to play the game. electroNic will not be afraid to disagree with things the rest of VP take for granted.

If that dynamic can evolve into a healthy one where electroNic provides the reliable X-factor VP have not had since Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis's departure, this is not a problem.

Virtus.pro's style is defined to the point of predictability. electroNic's ideas can add another dimension, if they are added in the right way. And, even if it's not a perfect marriage, the firepower and experience upgrade should be obvious from the get-go.

This is not the Jame of AVANGAR. He is not scouting talent like FL1T from FORZE or fame from K23. He has been backed with serious financial muscle to sign electroNic.

Pressure, subsequently, will build; VP cannot be perennial dark horses anymore. Trophies must be claimed, or management will twist again.

electroNic, when he left NAVI, had the chance to forge his own legacy outside of Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev's shadow. At Cloud9, that failed but it's not too late. electroNic may have a lot of miles on the dash but is still just 25 years old.

Virtus.pro have defined philosophy, a truly S-tier IGL, and underrated incumbent firepower. Add electroNic to that recipe and VP should be well on their way to competing at the very top of the scene for s-tier titles.