CIS legend, ArtStyle, returns to coach Virtus.pro

CIS Dota legend and The International 2011 (TI1) champion Ivan “ArtStyle” Antonov has rejoined Virtus.pro (VP) to coach the team once again.

ArtStyle was VP’s coach from March 2017 to November 2018, a period in which they ruled the CIS Dota scene and became one of the most dominant teams in the history of the game. During that stint, he helped VP win four Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Majors and finish 5th-6th at both TI7 and TI8.

After leaving VP, ArtStyle had short three-month stints as the coach of Winstrike Team and EXTREMUM then went inactive in March of this year prior to rejoining his old team.

While ArtStyle is currently one of the most accomplished coaches in the scene, he is most known for his time as a player. He notably led the legendary DTS Gaming squad in Dota 1 before shifting to Dota 2 and becoming the captain of Natus Vincere, with whom he won the very first TI.

“Over the course of the last two years I’ve gained a lot of experience in Dota 2. Thank you for your constant support throughout that period of time, it means a lot! We’ve got more trophies ahead of us!” ArtStyle said in a statement.

“Glad to welcome Ivan in our club! He already helped the team to reach an incredible level in the past and we are sure that his experience and understanding of the game will allow us to improve once again,” said VP general manager Sergey Glamazda.

ArtStyle returns to coach a VP roster that is very different from the squad he coached in his first stint. While midlaner Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko and captain Alexey “Solo” Berezin remain from the 2017-2018 VP roster, the team is still trying to regain its former standing as one of the best teams in the world with Igor “iLTW” Filatov, Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok, and Bakyt “Zayac” Emilzhanov now filling out the rest of the roster.