B1ad3: NAVI Were Close to Making Roster Changes Before New Season

Natus Vincere coach Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy has revealed that the organization seriously explored roster changes during the off-season and even entered negotiations over potential additions before ultimately deciding to keep its current five-man lineup.

Speaking to HLTV after NAVI opened their Esports World Cup 2026 campaign with a 13-9 victory over 3DMAX, B1ad3 explained that the organization had opportunities to alter the roster and held discussions with agents. However, competition for the players NAVI were interested in contributed to the negotiations falling through.

Rather than treating the unchanged roster as a fallback, B1ad3 argued that NAVI can turn continuity into an advantage. The coach believes the protocols, accumulated knowledge and experience developed by the same five players give NAVI something a newly rebuilt lineup would need time to recreate.

Quick summary

Key point	Details
Team	Natus Vincere
Coach	Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy
Roster changes	Considered, but did not happen
Negotiations	B1ad3 confirmed NAVI pursued possibilities
Why talks failed	Multiple factors, including competition for targeted players
Players targeted	Not publicly identified
Current lineup	Aleksib, iM, b1t, w0nderful, makazze
First EWC 2026 result	NAVI 13-9 3DMAX
Event	Esports World Cup 2026
Location	Paris, France
Confirmation status	B1ad3 comments confirmed via HLTV interview

What happened: B1ad3 confirms NAVI explored roster changes

NAVI entered the off-season with more possibilities on the table than their eventual decision to retain the roster might suggest.

B1ad3 said the organization analyzed how its Counter-Strike project could evolve for the next season and received offers while considering potential changes. NAVI also spoke with agents and informed its own players that changes were possible if the organization found a route to a stronger team.

The process went beyond a theoretical roster review.

According to B1ad3, NAVI attempted negotiations and at certain points came close to completing changes. Those discussions eventually failed to produce a deal.

“There was competition, let's say, for these players, and we couldn't do anything,” B1ad3 told HLTV.

He did not identify the players NAVI targeted, which teams they represented, which current NAVI members might have been replaced, or how advanced any individual negotiation became.

Those details therefore remain unconfirmed.

Why NAVI ultimately kept the same lineup

Failed negotiations were only part of the equation.

B1ad3 also described roster continuity as something NAVI increasingly viewed as valuable during the decision-making process.

The current five-man lineup has played together for more than a year since Drin “makazze” Shaqiri joined. That time has allowed NAVI to accumulate a large amount of tactical material, protocols and shared experience.

For B1ad3, that creates two legitimate development paths.

NAVI could have refreshed the team with stronger individual pieces and rebuilt parts of its system around them. Alternatively, the organization could preserve the existing lineup and try to extract more value from the knowledge it has already developed.

NAVI chose the second option.

That distinction matters. The decision was not presented simply as “the transfers failed, so nothing changed.” B1ad3 said NAVI reached a point where continuing with the established lineup also made strategic sense.

NAVI's current CS2 roster

Player	Status
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen	Active
Mihai “iM” Ivan	Active
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy	Active
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov	Active
Drin “makazze” Shaqiri	Active
Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy	Coach

The lineup was listed by HLTV following B1ad3's interview at Esports World Cup 2026.

Background: Why NAVI's off-season became a major storyline

Questions about NAVI's roster had already emerged before the Esports World Cup.

Following NAVI's elimination from the IEM Cologne Major 2026 in Stage 3, B1ad3 said the team would “definitely become stronger next season,” but at the time did not explain whether that improvement would come through roster moves or internal development.

His latest comments clarify what happened behind the scenes.

Roster changes were genuinely considered.

NAVI investigated the market.

Negotiations took place.

But the organization did not find a move it could complete that justified breaking up the existing structure.

That leaves NAVI entering the new season with the same core but with a different preparation strategy and a changed competitive map pool.

Timeline: NAVI's path from Major exit to EWC 2026

Date / period	Development
June 2026	NAVI exit the IEM Cologne Major in Stage 3
Post-Major	B1ad3 says NAVI will become stronger next season
Off-season	NAVI analyzes possible roster changes and speaks with agents
Off-season	Negotiations over potential additions take place
Off-season	Potential transfers ultimately fail to materialize
Pre-season	NAVI decides to continue with its established five-player lineup
Pre-season	Team takes an extended break from official matches and skips BLAST Bounty
Bootcamp	NAVI prepares in Barcelona ahead of its return
August 12, 2026	NAVI defeat 3DMAX 13-9 in their EWC 2026 opener
August 13, 2026	B1ad3's interview detailing the off-season process is published

Key details from B1ad3's interview

Topic	What B1ad3 revealed	Why it matters
Roster market	NAVI considered changing the lineup	Confirms roster moves were a real possibility
Negotiations	Discussions reached meaningful stages	NAVI went beyond basic market exploration
Transfer competition	Other teams were competing for targeted players	Helps explain why deals collapsed
Current roster	NAVI eventually chose continuity	Existing tactical knowledge remains intact
Motivation	B1ad3 wants to prevent stagnation	Same roster does not mean same approach
Preparation	NAVI skipped BLAST Bounty	More time was allocated to rest and practice
Map pool	Cache has entered while Overpass is out	NAVI sees an opportunity to broaden its map options
EWC opener	NAVI beat 3DMAX 13-9	First official test after the long break

Tactical impact: continuity could become NAVI's biggest advantage

Keeping the roster intact removes one of the largest costs associated with a transfer: rebuilding the tactical system around a new player.

B1ad3 specifically emphasized the amount of team knowledge and protocols that can accumulate when five players spend an extended period together.

For NAVI, that means the opening months of the new season do not necessarily need to be devoted to teaching a newcomer an entire playbook or redistributing responsibilities.

Instead, the coaching staff can focus on refinement.

That could include improving existing protocols, correcting recurring mistakes, developing new approaches and integrating Cache into the competitive map pool.

This is analysis rather than a guarantee of improved results. Continuity only becomes an advantage if NAVI can convert its accumulated knowledge into better performances.

Cache gives B1ad3 another tactical variable

The map-pool change could be particularly important for an established lineup.

B1ad3 said NAVI intends to explore Cache as a potential weapon and suggested that experienced teams can benefit when a new map disrupts a pool opponents have spent months learning.

The removal of Overpass is also notable because B1ad3 described it as NAVI's previous permanent ban.

That potentially changes the team's veto structure.

B1ad3 stopped short of revealing how extensively NAVI practiced Cache, but said he believed the team could now play all maps while stressing that officials would provide the real test.

Against 3DMAX, NAVI did not blindly force the new map into the veto. B1ad3 specifically referenced the amount of official material available on 3DMAX's Cache when discussing opponent preparation.

That suggests Cache may initially function as a matchup-dependent option rather than an automatic pick.

Why NAVI skipped BLAST Bounty

NAVI's unchanged roster was paired with an unusual preparation decision: an extended period without official matches.

B1ad3 said he pushed NAVI management to skip BLAST Bounty because he wanted the players to receive a proper vacation and then have enough time to rebuild their competitive shape.

The team subsequently held a bootcamp in Barcelona, where B1ad3 described a more gradual preparation process built around practicing individual maps and correcting mistakes.

There was also a VRS consideration.

B1ad3 argued that the online event offered limited ranking upside compared with the potential consequences of an upset loss to a lower-ranked opponent.

No independent VRS calculation for NAVI's decision was provided, so its exact ranking impact should not be quantified beyond B1ad3's explanation.

Tournament impact: EWC becomes the first proof point

The Esports World Cup is therefore more than another event on NAVI's calendar.

It is the first meaningful test of three interconnected off-season decisions:

keeping the lineup, taking an extended competitive break, and rebuilding the team's map pool before returning to officials.

The first result was positive.

NAVI defeated 3DMAX 13-9 on August 12 to begin their EWC 2026 campaign.

The result also carried some historical significance for the matchup. At Esports World Cup 2025, 3DMAX eliminated NAVI 2-1 in the Round of 16, winning Inferno and Nuke after NAVI had taken Ancient.

One best-of-one victory in 2026 does not establish whether NAVI's off-season strategy has worked, but it gives the unchanged roster a successful first step.

Why B1ad3's comments matter

The most significant part of the interview is that it changes how NAVI's quiet off-season should be interpreted.

No transfer does not mean no transfer activity.

NAVI evaluated alternatives and was prepared to alter the roster if it believed a move would raise the team's ceiling.

At the same time, B1ad3's explanation establishes a clear benchmark for the current five.

The organization chose to preserve accumulated experience rather than reset the project. NAVI must now demonstrate that continuity can produce greater improvement than the unavailable transfer options would have offered.

B1ad3 also acknowledged what could eventually happen if that improvement does not arrive.

Discussing how NAVI would evaluate the season, he said that if trophies do not come, management could again demand changes.

That makes the current roster stable for now, but not untouchable indefinitely.

Impact analysis

Short term

NAVI avoid the adaptation period associated with introducing another player. Existing protocols, communication structures and tactical material remain available immediately.

The extended preparation period should also mean the team enters its first events with substantially more practice than it would have had by playing BLAST Bounty.

Medium term

The crucial question becomes whether NAVI can create genuine tactical evolution without changing personnel.

B1ad3 explicitly identified stagnation as something the team wants to avoid.

That makes development on Cache, improvements across the existing map pool and the team's performances against elite opponents useful indicators over the next several events.

Long term

The roster question has not disappeared.

Instead, NAVI have postponed the need to answer it.

If the lineup becomes a consistent title contender again, the decision to prioritize continuity will look increasingly justified. If results fall short, B1ad3's revelation that NAVI already explored the market gives future transfer speculation additional context.

What changes now for NAVI?

The personnel do not change, but NAVI's competitive framework does.

The team returns with a refreshed map pool, a long preparation period behind it and an explicit focus on extracting more from an experienced lineup.

Most importantly, NAVI no longer need to answer whether they will rebuild during this off-season.

The question now becomes whether they should have.

That can only be answered through results.

What to watch next

Several indicators should provide stronger evidence about NAVI's direction than the opening victory over 3DMAX.

Cache usage: B1ad3 has publicly identified the new map as an opportunity. How quickly NAVI are willing to pick or leave it open will reveal more about their preparation.

Performance against elite opposition: NAVI's established protocols become most valuable if they allow the team to compete consistently against the strongest teams.

Map-pool depth: The removal of NAVI's former Overpass permaban could change how opponents approach vetoes against them.

Tournament finishes: B1ad3 ultimately framed trophies as the standard that can determine whether management revisits roster changes.

Future transfer windows: No targeted player was named. Any claim identifying NAVI's off-season targets should therefore be treated as speculation unless independently reported or confirmed.

Related teams, players and events

Natus Vincere: The central team in the story. NAVI retained its established roster after exploring possible off-season changes.

B1ad3: NAVI's coach and the source of the new information about negotiations and the organization's off-season strategy.

Aleksib: Part of the five-player lineup NAVI chose to retain.

iM: Remains with NAVI after the organization evaluated possible roster moves.

b1t: Continues as part of NAVI's established core.

w0nderful: Remains in NAVI's starting five.

makazze: His arrival established the current version of the lineup, which has now spent more than a year together.

3DMAX: NAVI's first opponent at EWC 2026. NAVI won the best-of-one 13-9.

Esports World Cup 2026: NAVI's first top-tier event following their extended break. The CS2 competition runs from August 12-23 in Paris and features 32 teams competing for a $2 million prize pool.

FAQ

Did NAVI try to make roster changes before the new season?

Yes. B1ad3 confirmed that NAVI considered lineup changes, spoke with agents and attempted negotiations during the off-season.

Why did NAVI's roster changes not happen?

B1ad3 said the process broke down across multiple levels and that there was competition from other teams for the players NAVI were pursuing. He did not provide complete details of individual negotiations.

Which players did NAVI try to sign?

That is TBD / unconfirmed. B1ad3 did not publicly name NAVI's targets in the interview. Claims about specific candidates should not be presented as fact without additional sourcing.

What is NAVI's current CS2 lineup?

NAVI's lineup consists of Aleksib, iM, b1t, w0nderful and makazze, with B1ad3 as coach.

How did NAVI start Esports World Cup 2026?

NAVI defeated 3DMAX 13-9 in their opening match on August 12.