Virtus.pro benched its ace In-Game Leader following loss to M80..

Russian Counter Strike 2 powerhouse Virtus.pro (VP), announced on Saturday through its official website that they have benched the team's ace In-Game Leader electroNic.

The timing of electroNic's benching coincides with VP's recent loss to rising American team M80 in the BLAST Open Fall London qualifiers.

electroNic becomes the third player to be benched by VP, following FL4MUS and n0rb3r7.

Regarding the decision to bench the player, VP's CEO Nikolai Petrossian said: "Denis (electroNic) is one of the most experienced and accomplished players in the world. It's unfortunate that we were unable to work together to build a team capable of consistently competing for top positions at top tournaments."

"I want to thank him for his journey with us, no matter how difficult it was."

"I am very grateful to Denis for his genuine encouragement and for his willingness to shoulder the heavy responsibility as the In-Game Leader."

"Dennis has been a member of Virtus.pro since April 2024. We thank him for his professionalism, dedication, and passion for the game during his time with the team."

"The name of our fifth player five player will be announced soon; please stay tuned to our social media channels."

VP recently lost to M80 1-2 after leading by one game, missing out on the BLAST Open Fall London.

About electroNic

The 26-year-old electroNic was born in Russia on September 2, 1998, and plays as an In-Game Leader or rifler.

electroNic has been a Counter Strike player since 2015 and was a member of the Russian national team. However, due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, he has not represented his country since 2022.

electroNic previously played for teams such as ACES, Evolution, Rebels, Empire, NokSuKao, and FlipSid3 Tactics before joining NAVI in November 2017.

During his six-year spell with NAVI, electroNic helped the team win numerous major championships, including the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship Season 14, the 2020 BLAST Premier World Championship Finals, the Intel Extreme Masters Season 16 Cologne, the Intel Grand Slam Season 3, and the PGL Major Stockholm, establishing himself as one of Russia's best Counter Strike esports players.

These impressive achievements also earned him recognition as one of the top eight players in the world by HLTV for three consecutive years, from 2018 to 2021.

In July 2023, electroNic joined Cloud9 (C9).

During this time, he helped the team reach the top 6 at the PGL Major Copenhagen.

In April 2024, electroNic joined VP, replacing mir, and at the end of the year, replaced jame as the team's new In-Game Leader.

However, during this spell, electroNic failed to perform to his strengths at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, PGL Major Bucharest, PGL Major Astana, BLAST.tv Austin Major, BLAST Bounty Fall, and the eSports World Cup. The upset loss to M80 was the final straw.