Perfecto released by Virtus.pro after year-long struggle
Major winner Ilya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy is back on the free agent market after Virtus.pro parted ways with him following a rough year that saw the team sink to 100th in the VRS.
One Major Title, One Rough Year
Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, the 26-year-old Russian rifler who once lifted a CS Major trophy, is a free agent again. Virtus.pro confirmed his departure on August 3, closing out what the organization itself described as a committed but ultimately unsuccessful chapter.
“Since joining the Bears in June 2025, Perfecto has represented our colors at the highest level of CS2,” Virtus.pro wrote in their farewell post, as reported by HLTV. “We’d like to thank him for his professionalism, dedication, and everything he brought to the team.”
Nice words. The results, though, told a harder story.
A Team Already Sliding
When Virtus.pro brought Perfecto aboard in June 2025, they were not exactly in peak form. He was signed to replace FL4MUS, who had just been benched, and stepped into a roster that was already trending the wrong direction. The team cycled through roles and struggled to find traction, suffering early exits at nearly every event they attended, according to HLTV.
Things got even more complicated when Denis “electroNic” Sharipov was benched mid-run. Perfecto stepped into the IGL role, a tough ask for any player, but the added responsibility did not translate into wins. The team kept losing.
By early 2026, it had become genuinely ugly. Virtus.pro lost every match they played during that stretch, including defeats against RUSTEC and WW, two opponents well below their expected competition level. The VRS ranking told the whole story: the team sank all the way to 100th.
The Reset Button Gets Pressed
Virtus.pro responded by making sweeping changes. Perfecto, FL1T, and fame were all benched as the organization chose to build around its academy players, per HLTV. It was a clean break, the kind of roster overhaul that signals an organization is done trying to patch a leaking ship and would rather start building a new one entirely.
For Perfecto, the timing is interesting. He carries real pedigree. A 1.0 rating of 0.99 across 1,058 maps played is not a number that screams “done,” even if his recent year was a rough one. The HLTV comments section was split on his prospects, with some community members suggesting tier-two teams could still get solid output from him, while others pointed out he had a lengthy unemployment spell before VP came calling.
What he does next is genuinely unclear. At 26, he is not at the age where teams start writing players off, and the experience of serving as an IGL, even on a struggling squad, adds a dimension to his profile that was not there before. Whether that matters to prospective buyers probably depends on how much of VP’s slide they chalk up to structural problems versus individual performance.
For now, Perfecto sits without a team, his HLTV profile showing “No team” next to his name. The free agent window is open, and the market gets to decide how much that Major winner tag still counts for.
Why did Virtus.pro release Perfecto?
According to HLTV, Virtus.pro opted to rebuild around academy players after a dismal run in early 2026 that included losses to RUSTEC and WW and a drop to 100th in the VRS. Perfecto, along with FL1T and fame, was benched as part of that reset.
When did Perfecto join Virtus.pro?
Perfecto joined Virtus.pro in June 2025, filling the roster spot left open when Timur 'FL4MUS' Marev was benched, according to HLTV.
Did Perfecto ever serve as IGL for Virtus.pro?
Yes. As reported by HLTV, Perfecto took over in-game leading duties after Denis 'electroNic' Sharipov was benched, though the move did not reverse the team's declining results.