NaVi to make changes to its VALORANT lineup after disappointing at VCT Champions 2023

The VALORANT Champions Tour 2023 season is almost over, and only two teams are left fighting for glory in the last tournament: Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses. On the other hand, the rest of the teams that did not have a positive end of the season are considering making some changes in their lineups for next season.

One of these teams is NaVi, the popular Ukrainian organization that apparently will make several changes in its lineup for VCT 2024. These rumors come to light after disappointing everyone with their participation in the VALORANT Champions 2023, where they failed to advance to the playoffs. However, let’s remember that NaVi was placed in Group D, the tournament’s toughest group, along with LOUD, Team Liquid, and DRX.

Similarly, throughout the season, we observed how NaVi was one of the teams that could challenge Fnatic’s dominance both in EMEA and in international competitions.

NaVi would make changes to its lineup for the upcoming season

According to a report published by esports journalist Alejandro “anonimotum” Gomis on blix.gg, NaVi would be looking for a replacement for Mehmet “cNed” İpek and two other players. According to the report, the organization would make these changes when the VCT offseason officially starts, i.e., in several weeks.

Sources (Valorant): Cned 🇹🇷 will no longer be a part of Navi 🇺🇦 starting roster.

Navi is already exploring the market to find a replacement for the Turkish player.

Read on @blix_gg ⬇️https://t.co/dGAdNrIyVa

— Alejandro Gomis (@anonimotum) August 25, 2023

In the report, Gomis mentions that NaVi is ready to terminate its main star, the 21-year-old Turk, cNed. Consequently, an absolute change in this NaVi lineup is highly probable for VCT 2024.

As we mentioned, with such a powerful lineup that NaVi built for VCT 2023, we were sure they would be one of the top contenders for both Fnatic and the rest of the teams in the world. However, the team could not demonstrate consistency and strong performance throughout the season.

In the VCT EMEA League 2023, they finished fourth in the table, were prematurely eliminated from the VCT Masters Tokyo, finished second in the LCQ, and, in VALORANT Champions 2023, did not win a single match.

About cNed

While NaVi has not managed to have a good result in this VCT 2023 season, cNed, at only 21 years old, has managed to delight us with his excellent level of play every chance he gets. The player is among the best players (in terms of statistics) of the VCT EMEA League 2023.

However, after the different nerfs to Jett by Riot Games, cNed’s level of play was a bit affected, as, for many, this would be the goodbye to Jett’s dominance in the competitive scene. However, the 21-year-old Turk could adapt perfectly to other agents such as Raze, Yoru, and Neon.

Undoubtedly, the Turkish star can be a very palatable player for any team in Tier 1. In addition, with the conclusion of VALORANT Champions 2023 in the coming hours, the offseason is expected to begin. With that, many teams in the Tier 1 scene will change their lineups. As a result, cNed would have no problem finding a new home in another team.

Header: Colin Young-Wolff | Riot Games