NAVI have ended their BLAST Bounty Season 2 run, falling to Astralis in the second round with a 1–2 scoreline. For Romanian rifler iM, this tournament turned out to be his worst in the “black-and-yellow” jersey in terms of statistics.
Path in the tournament
BLAST Bounty is known for its fast and uncompromising single-elimination format. There is no second chance here — one loss means immediate elimination.
In the opening round, NAVI were picked by the Ukrainian team TNL and managed to advance after a hard-fought 2–1 series. In the second round, the draw matched them against Astralis, who didn’t regret their choice — the Danish squad claimed a 2–1 victory and moved on to the next stage. Astralis had previously handled Rare Atom with ease in their first match, winning 2–0.
Dust2 and Nuke decided the series
The series began on Mirage — NAVI’s pick. The Ukrainian side looked solid in the first half (8–4), but after the side switch Astralis came close to forcing overtime (11–12), and only a crucial round win allowed NAVI to close out the map.
On their own pick, Dust2, the Danes looked far more confident. In the second half, they completely dominated on the T side, conceding just one round — 13–7.
The decider, Nuke — a map NAVI often play — turned into a cold shower. Astralis took the first five rounds in a row and finished the half 10–2. After the switch, NAVI couldn’t mount a comeback — 13–2, giving Astralis the series 2–1.
Best player of the match
The series MVP was device, who posted 55 kills, 92.3 ADR, and a 1.47 rating over the three maps. In contrast, iM recorded his worst tournament with NAVI, ending with a 0.83 rating.
NAVI bow out after match against Astralis
NAVI’s performance at BLAST Bounty Season 2 showed that the team continues to struggle with inconsistency, especially in key moments of decisive matches. Despite a strong start on Mirage, the “black-and-yellows” couldn’t maintain the momentum on the following two maps. Individual struggles, particularly from iM, raise questions ahead of the upcoming tournaments.
NAVI captain Aleksib summed it up briefly on social media after the loss:
“Really let my team down on the decider, need to do better. Out of BLAST and EWC next.”
Now NAVI will focus on preparing for future events, as back-to-back early exits could impact both the team’s morale and their position in the rankings.
