Virtus.pro was nowhere to be found in the previous edition of the Esports World Cup. However, the team may well be gunning for one of the prestigious titles in StarCraft II as the team has now moved to sign Kim “Classic” Doh Woo as their ace in the game and represent the squad in the coming months.

The news broke out through a blog post on the Virtus.pro website earlier this week, and it garnered mixed impressions from the team’s fans considering that they haven’t been successful in almost any esports run this year so far. Signing Classic is a promising move that will give them better hopes of at least cracking one esports trophy at this point.

The Esports World Cup is slated to begin this July 8th, and will go all the way to August 24th. There will be seven weeks of esports action across different games in Saudi Arabia, with each week featuring multiple games simultaneously. For Virtus.pro, this is a chance to show that they still have some grit in them and can still come up with a competitive set of players in the long run.

Bringing in the Classic Experience

Classic has been one of the renowned players in StarCraft II, competing at a professional level since 2010 when he began his career with STX SouL. He would then move on to SKT1 after the latter team disbanded and stayed there for three years. Since then, Classic has been jumping form one team to another, including the likes of MKers, Alpha X, and Twisted Minds.

One of the biggest feats that we have seen from Classic in his StarCraft run was back in 2014 – when he finished first in the Global StarCraft II League Season 2: Code S. It was a massive run where he topped off the final against his rival Eo ‘soO’ Yun-su in six games, claiming a massive prize of ₩70,000,000 (roughly $69,000) in the win.

While he hasn’t been much active in the last two years, the most recent achievement he’s had was a third-place finish in the 2023 GSL Season 3: Code S, where he represented Twisted Minds. Classic had a promising run in the game but dropped the game against Cloud9’s Koh ‘GuMiho’ Byung-jae, 1-3. He did, however, earn a slot in the subsequent ESL SC2 Masters 2023 Winter.

Reviving a Legacy

For Virtus.pro, signing Classic is a huge move that will give them a chance to elevate their status in the esports world. As one of the highly-decorated teams in the esports world, one can say that this is a chance that the team cannot pass up, especially if they are looking to earn some key wins on the big stage.

As emphasized by Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrossian, this is a chance for the team to set expectations and revive their status in StarCraft II.

“A year ago, we attempted to revive our legacy in StarCraft II, but the circumstances weren’t in our favour. Now, we’re returning with a more accomplished player who boasts an impressive track record, including top-tier tournament victories,” Petrossian said in the signing of Classic. “We expect Classic to qualify for the Esports World Cup and deliver a strong performance at the event itself, as well as at other major competitions within the esports ecosystem.”

For now, this will be a shot in the dark – a gamble that Virtus.pro is willing to make. If it pays off, then the team may have just found its next face in the StarCraft world – and a new home for Classic in the years to come.