Thorin on NAVI’s ESL Pro League S23 Victory: “A Tier-S LAN Trophy” — But Critics Question the Playoff Run

Natus Vincere (NAVI) secured the ESL Pro League Season 23 (EPL S23) title after defeating Aurora in the grand final of the Counter-Strike 2 tournament. The victory marked NAVI’s return to the top of tier-one CS2 competition — but analyst Duncan “Thorin” Shields believes the result could be misleading when evaluating the team’s current level.

According to Thorin, NAVI technically captured a tier-S LAN trophy, yet the strength of the opponents they faced in the playoffs may lead fans to overestimate the team’s dominance.

NAVI Win ESL Pro League Season 23

The EPL S23 grand final ended in a 3-1 series victory for NAVI over Aurora. The European squad secured the trophy after a playoff run that included wins over:

The MongolZ

FUT Esports

Aurora

The tournament ran from March 1–15, featuring 24 teams competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool.

The final maps played out as follows:

Mirage — 13-7 NAVI

Anubis — 13-11 Aurora

Nuke — 13-8 NAVI

Dust2 — 13-9 NAVI

The win gave NAVI their first major LAN title in Counter-Strike 2 in several months, strengthening the team’s position among the top contenders in the international scene.

Thorin: “The Trophy Might Be Fool’s Gold”

After the tournament, esports analyst Thorin commented on NAVI’s victory, arguing that the result could create a false perception of dominance.

His criticism focused on the playoff bracket, which did not include some of the strongest teams in the world.

In his view, winning a tier-S LAN event is impressive on paper, but the achievement becomes easier to overrate if the path to the trophy does not include defeating the biggest title contenders.

w0nderful and makazze Lead NAVI to the Title

Despite the debate around the strength of the bracket, NAVI players delivered strong individual performances throughout the tournament.

Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov stood out as one of the key players in the grand final, helping the team close out the series against Aurora.

Meanwhile, Drin “makazze” Shaqiri had a breakout event and was widely recognized as one of NAVI’s most impactful players during the playoffs.

After the final, makazze shared his excitement about winning the tournament:

“I’m feeling incredible. They played well, but we were shooting hard too. It was our day.”

The tournament also marked a major milestone for the young rifler, who secured the first MVP award of his career at a tier-one event.

Emotional Semi-Final Against FUT

One of the most dramatic matches of the tournament came in the semi-final between NAVI and FUT Esports.

The match carried additional significance because FUT’s lineup previously played under NAVI’s academy structure, creating an emotional storyline.

NAVI captain Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen later explained the atmosphere surrounding the match:

“When we faced FUT in the semi-finals, all of us knew it was our chance to reach the grand final.”

He also highlighted makazze’s motivation during the series:

“He really wanted to prove that he is capable of winning.”

NAVI eventually secured the series 2-1, advancing to the grand final.

Aurora’s Strong Run Ends in the Final

Aurora reached the EPL S23 final after defeating Astralis in the semi-final.

Before facing NAVI, Aurora captain Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli spoke about the significance of the matchup, noting that the team wanted revenge for a previous defeat to NAVI in an ESL Pro League final.

Despite the strong tournament run, Aurora ultimately fell short in the decisive series.

What NAVI’s EPL S23 Victory Means for CS2

NAVI’s ESL Pro League triumph confirms the team remains a serious contender in Counter-Strike 2, even as analysts debate the strength of their tournament run.

The victory gives the squad:

A tier-one LAN trophy

Valuable ranking points

Momentum heading into upcoming international events

However, Thorin’s criticism highlights the bigger question surrounding NAVI’s success: can the team replicate the result against the very top CS2 teams on the biggest stages?

The answer will likely come in the next wave of elite Counter-Strike tournaments.