Natus Vincere started this year being ranked 4th globally and maintained this position for several months. Then, after the success they registered at the Copenhagen Major, they climbed to the 2nd position, where they spent another several months. But this team hadn’t been able to take the number one spot for quite some time.
Achieving this performance with this roster or, in other words, without s1mple, is very impressive and proves that a good strategy will lead to success even if you don’t have the best player in the world.
To be fair, nobody knows anymore how skilled s1mple is at this point in time. It’s been nine months since he stopped playing the game competitively and he is currently teaching people how to play like him. Or at least, that’s the intention.
He seems to be so busy with this new endeavor that he hasn’t announced anything about his future, not even a “brb in three months”. Presumably, he won’t be back until the end of the year but that won’t stop Na’Vi from winning more trophies.
Thriving Without S1mple
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
WE GOT IT! 🏆😭 pic.twitter.com/gMwrDpKClj— NAVI jL (@jLcsgo_) July 23, 2024
Na’Vi have B1ad3 as their coach and he has been a hugely positive influence on the team’s results since 2019, when he joined the organization. The soon-to-be 38-year-old is a great strategist and also excels at managing people.
After s1mple benched himself, everyone was sure that Na’Vi would not survive for long. But they won their second Major and the Esports World Cup this year.
The secret to all this success, apart from B1ad3’s input, seems to be the synergy between the players. None of them is the best in the world at his respective role, but all of them are surely in the top 10. Combined, they play very intelligently, following fundamental principles whenever possible and even improving upon them.
Against some teams, the way they approach the game makes it clear that they are well prepared for the specific match-up and aren’t interested in using a generic strategy. This often creates small advantages that lead to key round wins.
On top of that, every now and then a player will have his brilliant moment or even a brilliant match or tournament. B1t won the MVP award for the Esports World Cup. JL won the same award for the Copenhagen Major. W0nderful is just wonderful with the AWP, often making fans forget about s1mple’s unmatched prowess with this weapon.
Header: Natus Vincere
