Passion UA ​​made a mark in their opening match at the Perfect World Shanghai Major Europe RMR B, overcoming Virtus.pro on the Mirage map with a surprising 16-14 victory.

Virtus.pro entered this tournament as a "hurt giant." Since adding Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov to the squad, they've looked underpowered compared to the potential of their stars, often disjointed and unable to combine the playing styles of electroNic and Dzhami "⁠Jame ⁠" Ali. These problems were evident during the match.

On the CT side, Virtus.pro looked very strong at times, especially in the opening stages. But in mid-round situations, they completely collapsed, losing the advantage in 5v2 and two 5v3 situations, creating an opportunity for Passion UA ​​to win a draw in the first half.

When switching to the T side, Virtus.pro showed a monotonous playing style unlike them. They repeatedly tried to attack area B in a rigid manner, focusing on deployment-heavy tactics but to no avail. The rounds where they slowed down the pace yielded better results, forcing Passion UA ​​to respond flexibly, and Virtus.pro eventually dragged its way into the OT (Overtime) series.

Here, Passion UA ​​demonstrated tenacity beyond their experience. In a tense situation, Rodion "⁠fear⁠" Smyk called a well-timed tactical change of pace on the T side, surprising Virtus.pro and helping his team win the match point, which then ended win.

Most of the talk about this match will focus on Virtus.pro's mistakes, and rightfully so. However, Passion UA ​​deserves praise for taking advantage of their opponents' errors well. Eduard "⁠zeRRoFIX⁠" Petrovskyi had an excellent performance on the CT side, Nikita "⁠jackasmo⁠" Skyba was very effective attacking the A zone as a lurker on the T side, and as mentioned, these Fear's tactical decisions in OT contributed to the victory.