Natus Vincere began their ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2 campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Monte, overcoming an early setback to secure their first win of the Swiss stage. After dropping the opening map Dust2, NAVI responded with dominant performances on Inferno and Mirage, with Drin ‘makazze’ Shaqiri delivering a standout series to lead the team to victory. For Monte, the defeat ends a promising run of form and drops them to 0–1 in Stage 2.
Dust2 — Monte strike first (13–4)
The series started strongly for Monte on their map pick, Dust2. From the opening rounds, Monte controlled the pace of the game. Their aggressive mid control and confident A-site executes repeatedly caught NAVI off guard, forcing the Ukrainian squad into uncomfortable defensive positions.
Players like Rainwaker and afro consistently found opening duels, allowing Monte to build an early economic advantage. NAVI struggled to stabilize their defense and never managed to recover momentum. Monte closed the map comfortably 13–4, putting themselves one map away from victory.
Inferno — NAVI respond decisively (13–1)
If Dust2 was one-sided for Monte, Inferno was the complete opposite. NAVI came out with a completely different approach — aggressive map control, faster executes, and much stronger trading. Monte were repeatedly shut down before they could even establish their default.
makazze and w0nderful dominated the server, winning duels across the map and preventing Monte from building any economy. The result was one of the most dominant maps of Stage 2 so far, with NAVI crushing their opponents 13–1 to tie the series.
Mirage — NAVI close the series (13–11)
The decider on Mirage delivered a far more balanced contest. Both teams traded rounds throughout the map, with Monte showing resilience after the crushing Inferno loss. Bymas and Rainwaker stepped up to keep the game competitive, while NAVI relied on coordinated executes and strong mid-round calling from Aleksib.
The turning point came in the late rounds when NAVI managed to string together crucial defensive holds to break Monte’s economy. With momentum finally on their side, NAVI closed Mirage 13–11, securing the 2–1 series victory.
Match statistics
Player of the Match — Drin “makazze” Shaqiri
Across three maps:
- 59–33 K-D
- 111 ADR
- 83.6% KAST
- 1.71 rating
makazze delivered one of the most impactful individual performances of the stage, particularly during NAVI’s dominant Inferno showing.
VRS impact
The result also carries implications for the Valve Regional Standings (VRS):
- Natus Vincere: +13 points
- Monte: −7 points
With the race for Major qualification tightening throughout the season, every ranking point gained during EPL remains crucial.
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What’s next
With the win, NAVI move to 1–0 in Stage 2, giving them a strong start in the Swiss format and putting them just two wins away from the playoffs. Monte, meanwhile, drop to 0–1, meaning the next match becomes critical if they want to avoid falling into the elimination side of the bracket. If NAVI maintain the level they showed on Inferno and Mirage, they could quickly emerge as one of the most dangerous teams in this stage of the tournament.
