by Virtus.pro emerged victorious as the champions of the Roobet Cup 2023, claiming the lion’s share of the $250,000 prize pool after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Monte in a thrilling grand final.
CHAMPIONS OF ROOBET CUP 2023! We've earned our first trophy in CS2 and $150,000 for the first place!
However, we have no time to relax, as the first match of the playoff stage at the Thunderpick World Championship is already tomorrow. We'll play against Heroic at 13:00 CET. pic.twitter.com/PvD9kuf83g
— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) November 2, 2023
The series kicked off with Virtus.pro taking a 13-10 win on Overpass, their map pick.
However, their journey to victory hit a bump on Anubis, where Monte rallied back from an early deficit to secure a 13-10 victory of their own.
The fate of the tournament hinged on Mirage, where Virtus.pro managed to assert their dominance and clinch a decisive win.
Dzhami “Jame” Ali and his squad displayed remarkable prowess throughout the tournament.
They notably defeated four top-30 ranked teams, a feat that marked their first title victory since the return of David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan in August and first since the Counter-Strike 2 era began.
Their Mirage performance, in particular, was a stark contrast to the start of the series, as Monte found it challenging to gain momentum after the initial stages of the map.
The opening rounds of Overpass were fiercely contested, with a pistol round win for Monte failing to secure an early lead as force-buy skirmishes unfolded.
However, n0rb3r7’s exceptional triple kill in round four marked a turning point, allowing Virtus.pro to establish a 7-5 lead on their T side, thanks in part to Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev’s contributions.
Virtus.pro extended their lead after halftime, although they couldn’t close out the map immediately.
Monte fought back, narrowing the deficit, but Virtus.pro ultimately secured the victory with a 13-10 score.
Monte responded with a strong performance on Anubis, even though they faced adversity at the beginning of the map.
They managed to equalize the score at 6-6 after a shaky start, with players like Alexander “br0” Bro and Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev making crucial contributions.
Monte dominated on their attacking side, losing only four rounds before closing out their pick with a 13-10 score.
However, Mirage saw Monte’s performance falter, with Virtus.pro taking control early and securing a comfortable lead.
Despite Monte initially going up 4-1, Virtus.pro’s FL1T and Jame were pivotal in shutting down Monte’s T-side efforts.
Virtus.pro went on to win all the remaining rounds in the first half, leading 8-4.
A standout 1v4 clutch from Nikolay “mir” Bityukov in the second pistol round sealed Monte’s fate, allowing Virtus.pro to swiftly close out the game with a 13-4 score.
Virtus.pro is not resting on their laurels, as they have the opportunity to add another title to their tally.
They are also in the playoffs of the Thunderpick World Championship 2023, where they are set to face off against Heroic in the quarter-finals.
A potential rematch of the Roobet Cup 2023 grand final could be on the horizon if Monte advances past Spirit in their own quarter-final.
In such a scenario, Monte would need to improve their performance, particularly in the realm of opening duels, where they struggled in the Roobet Cup series on both Overpass and Mirage.
