Jame about potential replacements in Virtus.pro

Virtus.pro’s captain, Dzhami "Jame" Ali, revealed in an interview with HLTV.org that the team is still struggling to find their rhythm. The Russian esports player pointed out that the packed tournament schedule does not allow them to thoroughly refine their game, forcing them to experiment with various approaches, systems, and strategies during matches.

"We are testing a lot of different approaches. We have some time to do this before the Major. There have been many tournaments where we tried out different systems, preparations, and so on, but things are starting to settle down now. We are close to finding the style we want to show at the Major, and we’ll see if it works.

The busy schedule, changing the coach... but mostly the schedule. We just haven’t had the time to sit down and work on maps. Only rough sketches, which is why our play hasn’t been cohesive. At certain points, we made the wrong decisions when developing maps, and only now have we been able to make some role adjustments. You might have noticed in this tournament that we’re changing roles and trying to find the best solutions for our team."

Jame also remarked that no one in the team, including himself, is guaranteed their place on the roster.

"I believe no one in this team can be sure of their place because Virtus.pro’s ambitions are to be the best and to compete with the top teams at the highest level. It’s difficult to make changes mid-season, and organisations operate from Major to Major. After the Major, like any other team, we will re-evaluate our performance, because we have many debates about our system, roles, and we ask ourselves these questions after every Major, trying to make the most of the resources we have.

No one is safe, especially me. The biggest question concerns our system with the sniper as the captain. This issue constantly worries me, and I think about it a lot, but I try to get the most out of myself and the team."

Virtus.pro defeated 9z 2-1 in the lower bracket of Group B at IEM Rio 2024. With this loss, 9z exited the tournament, while Virtus.pro advanced to the next round, where they faced Astralis and secured a spot in the playoffs. Later, they beat MongolZ to continue in the playoff stage.