Virtus.pro have closed the book on the roster they built to end their drought, parting ways with their entire lineup in the weeks after The International 2026. The organisation confirmed the split after a season that never delivered the tier-one results its own management had planned for, and the timing pushes a full starting five into a transfer window that was already crowded.
The context matters more than the announcement itself. This is the third consecutive year VP have failed to reach The International, and for a club that has been competing in Valve’s MOBA since 2012 and still holds the record for most Major titles, that is an unusual place to be. The European qualifier run ended with two series decided by the same margin: a 1-2 defeat to eventual TI runners-up TEAM VISION in the upper bracket qualifying match, then another 1-2 loss to HULIGANI in the lower bracket decider. Two chances, two identical scorelines, no Aegis appearance.
The lineup that leaves
The disbanded roster was an international project assembled in September last year, built around the ex-Shopify Rebellion core. Enzo “Timado” Gianoli held the carry position, Abed Azel “Abed” Yusop played mid, Jonáš “SaberLight” Volek took the offlane, Kirill “Hellscream” Lagutik covered soft support, and veteran captain Tal “Fly” Aizik ran hard support and the drafting. Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale coached.
On paper it was one of the more experienced units in Europe. In practice the season read as a long search for a floor. A seventh-eighth finish at DreamLeague Season 27 stands as the high point. FISSURE Playground 2 ended with VP last. ESL One Birmingham and PGL Wallachia Season 8 both ended before the playoffs. Their final outing came at the Esports World Cup 2026, where they exited the Survival Stage against Rune Eaters.
What a free agent core does to the board
Five available players and a coach is a meaningful supply shock in a scene where the post-TI shuffle usually reshapes half the top ten. Fly’s value as a captain and drafter has historically survived poor team results, and Abed and Timado are both carry-slot names that mid-tier orgs will chase. For anyone tracking the market, this is the part worth watching: rosters that absorb one or two of these players will look very different in December than they do now.
That has a direct read-across for anyone pricing early-season Dota 2 markets at the major bookmakers. Post-shuffle lineups are the least predictable objects in esports betting — synergy data resets, individual form carries over unevenly, and opening prices in the first month of a new season are set on reputation as much as results. The sensible approach is to treat the first tier-one event of 2027 as information gathering rather than a betting opportunity, and to wait for two or three series of a new roster before trusting any number attached to it.
It also means the reshuffle period is when a lot of accounts get opened and topped up, so it pays to actually read the terms attached to any promotion before committing — our breakdown of how welcome bonuses really work covers the wagering conditions that catch people out.
VP are not leaving
The organisation was explicit that the disband is not an exit. VP said they remain committed to the title and intend to return with a squad capable of competing at the top, with details on the next roster to be announced separately. Given fourteen years in the scene and five Major championships, that is a credible statement rather than a courtesy line — but it also means the club now has to solve the same problem for a fourth time, and the qualifier maths does not get easier.
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