Virtus.pro beats Fnatic to become ELeague season one champions

Virtus.pro, the Polish Counter-Strike dynasty, bested Fnatic in a close 2-0 match to become the first ELeague champions. 

Both teams went into the grand finals on Saturday after handedly winning their semifinals matches 2-0, but Virtus.pro ended up on top, continuing their streak of never losing in a tournament's finals.

Fnatic started out strong on the first map, Cobblestone, out-maneuvering and out-shooting Virtus.pro on almost every round. With the rounds at 7-1, though, VP started to turn it around a bit, and Snax nailed an impressive triple kill in the tenth round to help get the comeback rolling. The half ended with Fnatic in the lead, 9-6.

Virtus.pro kept the ball rolling as they took the terrorist side in the second half, getting an astounding seven-win streak to put them up 13-9. The tables turned as Virtus.pro started out-maneuvering Fnatic, making for some impressive Counter-Strike. Fnatic only managed to get one round in the rest of Cobblestone, losing to Virtus.pro 16-10.

The second map, Mirage, is Virtus.pro’s best map, but Fnatic did not let them take it easily. Fnatic took the first round quickly, and for the next two rounds Virtus.pro saved up their money. Dennis took advantage, getting an ace with an M4A4 from Bombsite A.

With enough money saved up, Virtus.pro was able to grab a couple rounds, but Fnatic wasn’t going down easy. Once Virtus.pro tied it up 4-4, the half was over for Fnatic. VP got a streak going and took the first half of Mirage 10-5.

Fnatic brought it back for the second half, winning the first three rounds, but just couldn’t hang on. PashaBiceps started amping it up, getting two clutch plays to put the ball back in Virtus.pro’s court. VP started racking up the wins, riling up the crowd and getting fans on their feet in Atlanta. Virtus.pro couldn’t be stopped, winning Mirage 16-8 and taking the ELeague championship.

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"We came back," Virtus.pro's Taz said. "We are so freaking happy and proud as a team... There were a lot of hard moments, especially in the beginning of the year."

Virtus.pro started off the 10-week-long tournament coming in second in their group stages, meaning they had to make it to the top of their last-chance qualifiers bracket to make it to the playoffs. They made it through, alongside Mousesports, and ended up facing the German team and winning in the semifinals.

Byali was Virtus.pro's shining star at ELeague, racking up an impressive number of clutch plays and kill streaks to get the team all the way to the championship win. His consistency — along with Snax's reliable AWPing, Neo's grenade and support skills, Pasha's ability to adapt to any opponent and Taz's leadership — made this a tough team to contend with.

Virtus.pro is going home with the first place prize of $390,000 and another tournament title under their belt. This tournament win could be the team's return to form after a long slump, and it won't be a surprise to see VP win another tournament or two before the end of the year.

ELeague is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which also is an investor in Mashable.

Best 'Counter-Strike' plays of the ELeague semifinals: Virtus.pro vs. Mousesports

Virtus.pro and Mousesports both got second chances at the ELeague finals, beating out the other contenders in the last chance qualifiers and making it through the quarterfinals. The two Counter-Strike teams fought Friday night for a place in the grand finals, giving it their best until the very end.

Virtus.pro made it through to Saturday's finals, but Mousesports put up a good fight. While Mousesports had some great plays throughout, it just wasn't enough to top the powerhouse that is Virtus.pro. VP took the first map 16-7 and the second map 16-10.

Here are the best plays from their semifinals match.

Virtus.pro's Snax gets a no scope through smoke

Virtus.pro got off to a rocky start, finding it difficult to get a decent economy after losing the first four rounds. But the player that turned it around was Snax, grabbing a quick snipe in a 2v1 and planting the bomb. With just Denis left, Snax dropped a smoke and set himself up to take out the aggressor, no-scoping him the second his legs appeared in the smoke.

Niko and Byali play cat and mouse

After both teams are taken down to a 1v1, Mousesports' Niko tossed down a smoke grenade to make things a little more interesting and to shield himsef as he moved out to Bombsite A. Niko walked through at the same time as Virtus.pro's Byali and they switched places.

Niko got a peak at where Byali was headed with the bomb, so he slowly and carefully chased him down, killing Byali with a spray just after he placed the bomb.

Virtus.pro's Taz gets a quick quad kill

Taz was sitting on Bombsite B with a P90 when the entire Mousesports team decided to walk in with pistols. Taz did what he does best and took them all down without batting an eye, rounding up an impressive quad kill to win the round.

Snax hits a snipe through the wall

Mousesports' ChrisJ found himself in a 1v2 situation against Snax and Neo, and managed to rifle Neo down to make it a 1v1. But it was a risky play; the his weapon's noise gave Snax a bead on his location. Snax took the shot and hit ChrisJ through the wall. Maybe next time. ChrisJ,  go for a knife kill.

PashaBiceps kicks off the second map with three headshots

Virtus.pro's PashaBiceps did not have a stellar first map, but he turned it around right as the match entered its second game. From a distance, Pasha lurked around to take on Mousesports from the garage. He picked off three Mousesports players before they could take him down, giving VP a big advantage that they did not lose for several rounds.

Byali gets a great double kill but can't defuse the bomb

Down to a 1v2 situation on Cache's Bombsite B, Byali launches out an incendiary grenade on the platform and manages to take out the two defenders in an impressive double kill. But as he runs up to defuse the bomb, his own fire is blocking his path. When it finally exstinguishes, he runs up to defuse — only to have it blow up in his face with one second to go.

Mousesports' Nex gets a clutch triple kill and bomb plant

With a one-round lead on Virtus.pro, Mousesports' Nex was in a sticky 1v3. He got a quick kill and moved toward Bombsite A, taking out Neo as he lay in wait. After planting the bomb, Nex sent out a molotov cocktail and sprayed down PashaBiceps while he advanced through the fire, giving Mousesports the advantage in the second half.

Snax banks an amazing molotov for the win

Virtus.pro made a successful advance through the warehouse on Cache and traded two of their own team for three of Mousesports' players. In a 3v2, Snax opened up the warehouse door and tossed a grenade through a breathtaking series of bounces, landing it right on Spiidi and taking him down a second before he defused VP's bomb.

Snax gets a clutch double kill with eight health

Snax found himself in a difficult situation, going into a 1v2 to defend the bomb, but with only eight health remaining. He managed to pistol down Spiidi and then switched to his AWP to take out Niko. He missed a couple shots, but whipped the pistol back out and nailed Niko for the win.

The ELeague finals take place Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, and all the action is being broadcast live on Twitch, Twitter and TBS.

ELeague is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which also is an investor in Mashable.