Virtus.Pro Player Koma' Among Ten Banned for Account Sharing and Impersonation During Tournament Games

Valve, through tournament organizer PGL, has permanently banned ten players from participating in its Dota 2 tournaments due to cheating and rule violations during the Open Qualifiers for the Dota Pro Circuit 2023: Tour 1. The banned players were found to have engaged in account sharing and impersonating members of other teams during tournament games, both of which are strictly prohibited in Valve tournaments. 

Virtus.Pro player amongst the players banned

Paradise’, Keintseru, SuperNova, Illusion, Lilskrip, Koma, Chambl, Limtless, [T]SA, and deihra are the players who have been permanently banned from Valve tournaments. Kamil "Koma`" Biktimirov (also known as "agressive child") is the most notable of these players, as he is the new carry for Virtus.Pro. 

Virtus.Pro recently announced Koma' as their new carry player, marking the start of a full rebuild for the Eastern European organization after The International 2022. The player had previously played for multiple notable Eastern European teams including Winstrike Team and Luna Gaming.

The organization has yet to comment on the situation. In the past year, Virtus.Pro has faced controversy with their carry players, including an incident where Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko drew pro-war symbols during an official DPC game, resulting in the organization being disqualified from a regional qualifier.

Account sharing refers to the practice of using another player's account to participate in a game or tournament, while impersonation involves pretending to be a member of another team. Both practices are strictly prohibited in Dota 2 tournaments, and Valve has taken a tough stance against them in the past.

The banning of these ten players is a clear message from Valve that it will not tolerate cheating or unfair play in its tournaments. It is expected that other players will think twice before engaging in such practices in the future, as the consequences can be severe.

It is not yet clear how these bans will affect the teams and players involved, but it is likely that they will face significant disruptions and challenges as they try to rebuild and move forward. However, the long-term effects of these bans may serve as a deterrent for other players considering engaging in similar behavior.