How Can Virtus.pro Address Its electroNic IGL Problem?

We’ve all known for a while that Virtus.pro has an electroNic problem. Even when Jame was still on the team, rumors were swirling that electroNic had made himself de-facto IGL. The former NAVI star clearly fancies himself an in-game leader, despite having no success in the role ever since first taking up the mantle in mid-2022. Reminder – it’s 2025, and he’s still trying to make it work.

Despite its recent IEM Katowice run flattering to deceive, Virtus.pro bombing out of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, a tournament missing all the top teams, without reaching the Playoffs is a massive problem. Ultimately, it’s indicative of a failed project, with electroNic failing to live up to the hype of his April 2024 move. So, what’s the solution? It’s not just as simple as “kick electroNic,” so let’s talk through it. The options aren’t great.

A lack of Russian IGLs makes a replacement tough

While the Russian scene has no shortage of Counter-Strike talent (trust me, I play FACEIT), it has a severe lack of prominent in-game leaders. If you decide to give up on the electroNic IGL experiment, who are you left with? Of Russian IGLs who have played against Top 30 opponents this year, you’re left with three options: Jame, chopper, and Boombl4.

You just benched and sold Jame, so that’s a no-go. I’m pretty sure you’d have to pry chopper from donk’s cold, dead hands on Spirit. Boombl4 would be an interesting option, but a lack of recent success makes him a risky choice. There are no sure-fire successes that are attainable, so I understand why Virtus.pro feel somewhat committed to making this electroNic thing work.

Beyond that, things get really rough. You could take a chance of nafany, but when that goes bad, it goes BAD. Beyond this, you’re likely just heading over to Spirit Academy, picking up their IGL in robo, and hoping it works out for the best. An 18-year-old in-game leader, what could go wrong?

Virtus.pro’s actual solutions are complex

If Virtus.pro does find a suitable replacement that it feels will be a marked improvement over electroNic, there’s still a big decision to be made: do you actually bench him? Once upon a time, electroNic was a top-five rifler in the world. You can’t say that about any of the team’s current rifling trio of FL1T, fame, and FL4MUS, although all three are better than him right now.

Keeping electroNic as a rifler and instead parting with one of the others in place of an IGL would be a massive risk. You’d need to gamble on him finding his previous form from years gone by, and give him the time to do so. In my opinion, that’s not a risk Virtus.pro should be willing to take, even if it feels like a viable option.

So what’s the solution for Virtus.pro?

To round this out, I realize I’ve not quite given my take on the right solution for Virtus.pro going forward – only why all the options are pretty bad. If I had to pick one, I’d hold my nose and try to pry Boombl4 from BetBoom. His calling might not be what it was, but he’s not washed individually. It’s a risk, sure, but who isn’t at this point?

One thing I do know for sure. The electroNic experiment should come to an end. He’s not an IGL, despite his insistence. I’d go as far as to say he may even need to drop down to Tier 2 for a while to rebuild his reputation. That’s the kind of damage I think his last couple of stints have done, and while he may get until the BLAST Austin Major with this team, I really don’t see it lasting any longer than that.