Natus Vincere’s ESL Pro League exit has Aleksib focused on a problem beyond one lost map. He said the team needs to enjoy Counter-Strike more, since repeated setbacks can lead players to overthink. NAVI lost to PARIVISION and missed the playoffs, though Aleksib felt the team had shown enough to earn a place there.
“We need to enjoy the game more,” Aleksib said after the loss. He noted that he did not personally feel pressure over Major qualification, but said NAVI must take its remaining events seriously and work harder. He named PGL, Beijing, and the Major as the team’s next stops.
NAVI’s final map against PARIVISION offered a few painful examples. Aleksib recalled the team falling behind around 0-5 on the CT side and losing three consecutive rounds with only one opponent left alive. After w0nderful won a clutch to make it 11-10, NAVI still failed to close the map, including a round where the team had a 5-on-3 after a double entry mid.
The issues stretch beyond that series. Aleksib was asked about NAVI’s five straight losses on Mirage, a map that had long been one of the team’s strengths. He pointed to rough starts and player confidence as possible factors, along with the chance that the team had spent less attention on a map where it was already strong. He also said NAVI could win one map in a series and then struggle badly on the next, leaving the team needing to improve in deciders.
Aleksib acknowledged that NAVI had not beaten a top-five team during the tournament, but still believed the squad should have reached the playoffs. He said the remaining events give the team opportunities to make deep runs, provided it can stop the setbacks from getting into players’ heads.
What do you think NAVI need to fix first to turn close maps into wins? For the team’s run through PGL, Beijing, and the Major, stay connected on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
