SumaiL rumored to be joining Virtus.pro after weak OG run

Dota 2 star Syed “SumaiL” Hassan might have a new team, and it’s not one most would expect.

According to a number of rumors, SumaiL might be set to join Virtus.pro, with the organization also set to reunite with several members of its fabled 2016-2019 lineup. SumaiL would be joined by Alexey "Solo" Berezin, Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev, and Vladimir "No[o]ne" Minenko. The trio of top talents won a total of five Dota Pro Circuit majors together under the Virtus.pro banner.

The rumor stems from alleged leaked text messages from former Virtus.pro general manager Roman Dvoryankin.

While this is huge all on its own, the rumor doesn’t end there. Dvoryankin was reportedly in talks with former Vici Gaming coach Bai "rOtK" Fan. 

rOtK was an integral part of Vici Gaming’s return to the top of the Dota 2 pro scene in 2019. He was set to join newly formed Chinese all-star team Four Angry Men, but has since been left in limbo due to a breakdown in negotiations between 4AM and Vici Gaming. Dvoryankin teased that the rumor may be true by posting a screen grab of what looks to be a text message with rOtK.

The lineup would be rounded out by Danial "yamich" Lazebny, a fresh talent currently playing for Winstrike Team.

If this rumor pans out, it would instantly be one of the most talented teams in the world and would be a uniquely difficult lineup to play against. In addition to almost every member of the team being highly accomplished at Dota 2’s top levels, the four veteran players attached to the team all have very deep hero pools that could be leveraged by one of the game’s best drafters.

On top of that, SumaiL and RAMZES666 have both spent 2020 successfully playing in off-role positions. That flexibility would make the team incredibly difficult to prepare for, and could give the side an edge against almost any opponent.

SumaiL on Virtus.pro would help to forget his weak OG run

While SumaiL is one of Dota 2’s most popular players and greatest individual talents, 2020 has been a rough year for him. The 2019-2020 season started with him being benched by Evil Geniuses in favor of Abed “Abed” Azel L. Yusop, and he was left on the team’s bench for months after.

He returned in early 2020 as a member of a new all-star team sponsored by OG. Though the early outlook for the team was strong, multiple players were stranded overseas due to travel restrictions, including SumaiL. He was cut from OG in July in favor of a returning Sebastian “Ceb” Debs and has been left in limbo ever since.

Though SumaiL’s first run with an all-star team didn’t really work out, this could mark a second chance for him to restart his career apart from Evil Geniuses if the rumor turns out to be true.