On May 20, 2024, Natus Vincere launched a new NAVI Junior CS2 roster \u2014 and in just over a year, it became one of the most successful academy projects in modern Counter-Strike. Under the guidance of Hungarian coach Andr\u00e1s \u201c\u2060coolio\u2060\u201d Fercs\u00e1k, the team won multiple Tier-2 tournaments, consistently beat RMR-level opposition, and broke into the top 30 of the Valve world rankings \u2014 an unprecedented feat for an academy squad.<\/p>\n
On June 30, NAVI officially announced that 18-year-old Drin \u201c\u2060makazze\u2060\u201d Shaqiri had been promoted to the main roster. His individual performance over the last 12 months was nothing short of exceptional \u2014 a 1.19 average rating, 89 opening score, and 87 entrying score, along with a strong presence in clutch situations.<\/p>\n
This decision had been anticipated for some time. The main NAVI lineup, which earned the title of \u201cTeam of the Year\u201d in 2024, struggled to reach any finals in the first half of 2025 and suffered an early exit at the BLAST.tv Austin Major. Head coach Andrey \u201c\u2060B1ad3\u2060\u201d Gorodenskiy acknowledged that changes were inevitable, but emphasized that any replacements would not be due to individual failure:<\/p>\n
We all play well at times, and we all make mistakes at times. Even if someone is removed, it\u2019s not because they let us down.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n
makazze is clearly more than just another academy graduate \u2014 his aggressive entry play redefines tempo and space control. However, he shares many roles with Mihai \u201c\u2060iM\u2060\u201d Ivan, particularly on the T side, which means NAVI will have to rework their tactical setup to fit him in effectively.<\/p>\n
\nRegarding the future of NAVI\u2019s CS2 Junior roster pic.twitter.com\/TU0g2ztleW<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 NAVI (@natusvincere) June 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n