Aleksib: “We improved on the Falcons game, but we’re not exactly brimming with confidence”

Aleksib: “We improved on the Falcons game, but we’re not exactly brimming with confidence”

In an interview following Natus Vincere’s latest win, Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen acknowledged that while his team showed signs of improvement compared to their match against Falcons, they still have doubts to work through.

“Today we played a much better Ancient, so we improved on the Falcons game for sure, but at the end of the day, it’s not like we are filled with confidence now,” Aleksib said.

“We kinda took a step back after those two losses, but the most important thing is that today, our game plans, at least on the T side, worked perfectly.”

Match background & situation

Natus Vincere (NAVI) arrived at the ESL Pro League (EPL) Season 22 after a confidence-boosting campaign at StarSeries Fall, where they looked strong.

In this EPL run, they have had a shaky start, suffering losses earlier to Falcons and 3DMAX. Their victory in the match referred to by Aleksib came under pressure, as their playoff hopes were under threat.

Despite that, the team managed a strong map on Ancient, which Aleksib cited as evidence of growth compared to the Falcons match.

Aleksib also addressed NAVI’s form on CT side, admitting lapses:

“On CT we started to crumble and didn’t play exactly how we are supposed to, or what our protocols are. Like taking solo duels after a 5-on-3, myself included.”

On makazze, team atmosphere, and future outlook

Aleksib spoke highly of Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, one of the newer members of the roster:

“I really like the guy, he’s super sweet in real life. He’s always cracking jokes, always laughing, and that’s something that’s really important in your atmosphere, to at least have one guy that’s doing that. When he's laughing, you're laughing, and that's a very good thing to have.”

He also praised makazze’s in-game contributions, pointing out how his kills on CT side — for example, pushing Secret — shifted momentum in NAVI’s favor:

“He got these very important kills pushing Secret on the CT side to get us on the 12th round, and that ended up being the difference-maker, at least on the CT side.”

Looking ahead, Aleksib commented on NAVI’s schedule and goals as they approach the final stretch of the year, including their aim to maximize performance for the Major:

“We have Thunderpick after this, and after that we will have a bit of time, Chengdu, then a bit of time, and bootcamp into the Major. It’s going to be nice… especially going into Chengdu, knowing that, no matter what happens after the tournament, you're going to have a bootcamp and you're going to start at Stage 2.”

Additional related context & quotes

To further illustrate NAVI’s trajectory and challenges, here are a few relevant past quotes and developments:

In August 2025, following an elimination from the Esports World Cup (EWC), Aleksib expressed frustration over how quickly things spiraled:

“It feels so gut-wrenching to be in this situation in the middle of the season.”

He noted that makazze was “playing very good… I constantly heard him communicating … I’m really proud of that.”

Earlier in 2025, Aleksib had stated:

“I don’t think we are where we want to be yet, but this victory is super important for us.”

In September 2025, reflecting on the team’s performance in Cologne and the impact of makazze’s integration, he said:

“I think this tournament we really treated each other as teammates and had fun together … this is the first stepping stone. I’m happy with how we are changing the direction, but we still need to show it against good opponents.”

Also, in late 2024, Aleksib had stressed the need for mental resilience and adapting mindset:

“You’re able to lose two times and still go through to the playoffs … I’m never going to count us out.”

Meanwhile, Falcons' IGL kyxsan recently gave insight into his team’s outlook, relevant because of their matchup with NAVI:

“We made sure m0NESY understood that he still has this freedom from before.”

Falcons had put together a near-perfect 3-0 group stage in this EPL.

Recent coverage of the league notes that the 2-2 matchups are now set for EPL Season 22, and NAVI will face 3DMAX following their victory — underscoring the volatile state of the group.