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Falcons have made a brutal statement to kick off their FISSURE Playground 2 campaign, dismantling Virtus.pro in one of the most lopsided tier-one Counter-Strike series in recent memory. The Russian side, debuting a new era under Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy as in-game leader, managed to win just three rounds across two maps.

Mirage, VP’s own pick, turned into a nightmare. Falcons stormed through to a 13-1 win, with René “TeSeS” Madsen pulling off a 1v3 clutch and Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin showing complete dominance. Virtus.pro’s only highlight came from Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov, who pulled off a 1v3 of his own, but it was nowhere near enough to spark momentum.

Ancient didn’t offer any reprieve. Despite getting into advantageous positions, VP failed to convert critical rounds, including a 5v3 and a 2v1. Falcons capitalised and raced to a 13-2 finish, wrapping up the series 2-0. In the end, Virtus.pro’s new roster could muster only three rounds total, a staggering collapse that leaves them with plenty of questions heading into their next matches.

Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin led the charge with a monstrous 35-18 K-D and a 1.96 rating, while Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and TeSeS also delivered big numbers.

Falcons vs Virtus.pro FISSURE Playground 2

Image via HLTV.org

On the other side, Perfecto’s first outing as captain could hardly have gone worse, finishing with just 11 kills and a 0.46 rating. For more background on the lineup shift, check out our coverage of Perfecto taking over as Virtus.pro captain and tO0RO’s promotion from VP.Prodigy.

Day One Roundup

While Falcons dominated Virtus.pro, the rest of the opening day brought more competitive action. TYLOO thrashed GamerLegion 2-0, 3DMAX edged out The MongolZ in a three-map battle, and Aurora overcame Astralis in another tight series. All four winners advanced to the 1-0 pool, taking a crucial first step toward the playoffs, while the losers now face the risk of an early exit.

FISSURE Playground 2 runs from 12–21 September in Belgrade, Serbia, with a $1.25 million prize pool up for grabs.