NaVi signs 14-year-old talent Niku to its NaVi Junior Dota 2 lineup

Popular Ukrainian organization NaVi announced the signing of 14-year-old Dota 2 prodigy Artem “Niku” Bachkur to its NaVi Junior lineup.

There is no doubt that NaVi has an excellent track record for setting its eye on promising talents in its various esports divisions. Recall that NaVi was the breeding ground for G2 Esports’ CS:GO superstar, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. On the other hand, they have also developed other players who are undoubtedly among the best in their respective video games.

This time, the team looks at a young Dota 2 player who, at only 14 years old, has caused a sensation in his solo games. Now, we will have to wait and see how he performs in an organization as big and popular as NaVi.

NaVi Junior announce the signing of Niku to its Dota 2 lineup

Through a post on their Twitter account, NaVi Junior announced the signing of 14-year-old prodigy Niku to their Dota 2 lineup.

Welcome our new mid laner for the Dota 2 Junior roster – @ArtemBachkur. Get the details in the article.

📰 https://t.co/UDSteixTnh#Dota2 #navination #Junior pic.twitter.com/PmT4d70fVj

— NAVI Junior (@navijunior) September 18, 2023

NaVi Junior is a relatively new squad in the Dota 2 competitive scene, created in August 2022. However, the team has had a great performance so far, as they participated in the two qualifiers for The International that have been contested, and, in addition, they played in the Eastern European DPC Division II.

However, Niku’s arrival means that one of the players must leave the team, and the one to do so is Askar “toshiyb” Zhumagulov. Toshiyb leaves NaVi Junior barely a month after signing for the Ukrainian organization.

Finally, it is worth noting that Niku will be the youngest player in the NaVi Junior squad, as the rest are 17 or 18 years old. Moreover, the 2023 Dota 2 season is very close to the end, so this new lineup will have enough time to prepare for the start of the next campaign.

About Niku

While he is a very talented player, the fact that he was not part of any organization before makes him unknown to many in the scene. However, NaVi mentions that Niku tends to play with Invoker, Puck, and Ember Spirit, heroes who are undoubtedly the top choice of aggressive Mid-Laners in the competitive Dota 2 scene.

Niku is currently near the TOP 100 in the European Dota 2 rankings. An impressive feat, considering he is only 14 years old. Also, it’s worth noting that, right now, most of the world’s professional Dota 2 players are playing on European servers, as the DreamLeague S21 is being played.

Now, we’ll have to wait and see how Niku adapts to the team and an organization as big as NaVi. Besides, it is also fair to mention that the Ukrainian organization has a lot of experience with this kind of young talents, as let’s remember that m0NESY, Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj, and Danyyl “headtr1ck” Valitov (all from CS:GO), come from NaVi Junior.

Header: NaVi