Natus Vincere have reached a Big Event semi-final for the first time since winning IEM Atlanta. The team built on its encouraging performances in Bucharest and went even deeper in Beijing.
So why is this run important? NAVI had a difficult season, and many fans waited for a real turnaround. Now Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy has spoken to HLTV, and he explained what feels different inside the server.
Why NAVI Went Months Without a Semi-Final
NAVI reached the BLAST Rivals Season 1 Final and then won IEM Atlanta. After that, however, the team went almost six months without another Big Event semi-final. For b1t, it was a long wait, and he is glad to be back in the playoffs.
He did not point to one clear reason for the dip. Instead, he said the team simply did not play its best CS, and small details kept going missing. At the same time, he stressed that NAVI were not losing to weak opponents.
To be honest, if you speak about this season overall, it was a tough season for us and if you ask me what reason, hard to explain the reason because eventually we were playing not the best CS what we can and some small details always were lacking. And I would say that we were not playing against bad teams. We were playing always good teams, and we were not losing to some noobs.
Wins Over Spirit, FURIA and Falcons
The turnaround started in Bucharest, where NAVI beat Spirit and FURIA. FURIA later won that tournament. In Beijing, NAVI continued the climb and beat Falcons twice. As a result, the team now looks much closer to its real level.
b1t said he is enjoying this stretch a lot. In his view, the biggest change is how the five players work together. Moreover, he feels the team is finally playing the way it can.
Like I said, it’s feeling great and on this kind of two last events I’m feeling great because I’m enjoying a lot when we’re playing good CS. And for me it’s a pleasure when we’re playing good like we can play. Everybody’s involved, everybody trying to make solutions, try to be a big part of the team, and eventually it’s working good.
Next Up: The MongolZ in the Semi-Final
NAVI will now face The MongolZ. The two teams have not met since EWC, and The MongolZ have changed their lineup since then. They also needed three victories to reach the semi-final in Beijing.
Even so, b1t does not put extra pressure on the match. He said NAVI will prepare as always and treat The MongolZ as a strong team. After all, this is a semi-final at a Big Event, so the team will do its best to win.
Plans After Beijing
NAVI will not play BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong, and the team will start the Major in Stage 2. Therefore, the plan after Beijing is simple. Rather than stay in Asia, the team intends to go home for a short rest.
We are planning to come back home, rest a couple of days, and eventually, like three, maybe four days we will have. And after we’ll have practice online, and we’ll fly to boot camp to prepare for Major.
What This Means for NAVI
The semi-final is a clear sign of progress for NAVI. The team has beaten Spirit, FURIA and Falcons in recent weeks, and b1t believes better teamwork is the reason. Finally, a short rest, online practice and a boot camp will give NAVI time to prepare for the Major with more confidence than it had earlier this season.
