The Virtus.pro organization has announced that a contract was signed with Dota 2 world champion Ivan “ArtStyle” Antonov. The agreement followed the successful showing at the Kiev Major qualifier, during which Ivan had been working with the VP roster as a guest coach.

Roman Dvoryankin, Virtus.pro general manager

In the course of the Kiev Major qualifier, it became clear to us that inviting Ivan had been the right decision to make. His experience, strategical thinking, and profound understanding of the game were a very important positive influence on the team. I’m certain that ours is the strongest lineup in Europe at the moment, and it is critical for us to be able to demonstrate this in Kiev.

Ivan “ArtStyle” Antonov, former professional Dota 2 player, 2011 World Champion (with Natus Vincere)

I’m very glad that the players and the organization have a positive view of my practices and my contribution to building the team’s playstyle. Our primary goal right now is to perform successfully in Kiev.

Alexey “Solo” Berezin, captain of the team

In a matter of a couple of weeks, Ivan became an indispensable member of our team. The guys had been very enthusiastic about his joining us, and we’re glad that ArtStyle will now be working with us on a permanent basis.

Team lineup: