B1ad3 sees the Major as crucial test, not just a trophy hunt

NAVI Coach B1ad3 Sees the Major as Crucial Test, Not Just a Trophy Hunt

Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy, head coach of Natus Vincere (NAVI), has stated that while his organisation has begun rebuilding, the current roster isn't yet in a position to win trophies. He views the upcoming Budapest Major as a testing ground — a chance to evaluate whether this lineup is viable in the long term. 

NAVI made a roster change over the summer: they promoted academy talent Drin “makazze” Shaqiri to replace Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, who stepped away from active competition. 

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Recent Performance & Roster Dynamics

• NAVI kicked off the season with a strong run to the semi-finals at IEM Cologne. Since then, though, the team has faltered considerably. Following Cologne, they have only won 2 of the next 6 matches. They underperformed at events such as BLAST Bounty, Esports World Cup, and BLAST Open London, finishing in placements like 9-16 in those tournaments.

• makazze, since joining the NAVI main roster, has played 31 maps and maintains a rating of just 1.05, a noticeable drop from his numbers with the academy squad — showing that the transition to top-tier events is still posing challenges.

• B1ad3 emphasized that makazze still needs time to “find his comfort and strengths” at the top level. He stressed that improvements are underway but not yet fully realized.

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The Major as a Defining Moment

• According to B1ad3, NAVI aren’t chasing trophies at the moment. The priority is growth, stability, and evaluating whether the current lineup can handle the pressure at major events. He said: “We don’t focus now on trophies at all … It’s better to take some steps back and slowly start going up again.”

• He described the Budapest Major as an “exam” — by which he means that this event will reveal whether NAVI needs further changes or whether this roster has the potential to stay together and compete.

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Context in the Broader Scene

• NAVI currently sit 10th in the European VRS standings. With that ranking, they are on course for a Major Stage 2 invite (i.e. they are likely to qualify through their VRS points rather than needing to fight through open qualifiers) if they maintain or improve performance.

• Upcoming events — specifically StarLadder StarSeries Fall and Thunderpick World Championship (October 15-19) — are considered by B1ad3 as valuable opportunities to gather experience, improve map and mental readiness, and test different aspects of the team's gameplay under tournament pressure.

• NAVI has had a period of stagnancy in big LANs. After strong showings post-roster shakeups, some results have disappointed. Part of the challenge is internal consistency, map veto stability, mid-round decision making, and handling high-intensity pressure moments. All those are being watched closely by fans and analysts ahead of the Major.

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Pros & Challenges

Pros:

• Young talent (makazze) gaining real exposure on the main roster.

• NAVI’s experienced core (players like b1t, Aleksib, iM, w0nderful) still bring high expectation and veteran presence.

• Good opportunities to build momentum in upcoming events, which will help both confidence and synergy.

Challenges:

• makazze’s adjustment period shows that transitioning from academy levels to top CS2 competition is not trivial.

• NAVI’s recent performance slump indicates issues in closing out matches, maintaining tactical consistency, and possibly in adapting to rapidly shifting meta or opponent strategies.

• The expectations are high; fans and media are expecting trophies. B1ad3’s comments suggest NAVI are internally scaling back expectations in favor of long-term growth, but external pressure is always present.