NAVI reveals new CSGO roster ahead of switch to CS2
NAVINAVI has revealed its new CS:GO lineup full of European talent as the Counter-Strike scene prepares to switch to CS2 this year.
NAVI revealed its new CS:GO roster after a flurry of offseason moves hit the esport during the player break. The squad is now a mix of European talent supporting their core of Ukrainian players in superstar Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev and youngster Valerii ‘b1t’ Vakhovskyi.
As Dexerto has previously reported, NAVI has moved on from Andrii ‘npl’ Kukharskyi, Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov and Ilya ‘Perfecto’ Zalutskiy. Perfecto and electroNic were a part of NAVI for about three and six years respectively. Both players were a part of the team’s PGL Major Stockholm 2021 championship run. The two are now linked to join Cloud9.
npl, however, was a relative newcomer to the main NAVI roster as he was called up from NAVI Junior in late 2022.
The organization has decided to field a mixed roster with Finnish IGL Aleksi ‘Aleksib’ Virolainen, Romanian rifler Mihai ‘iM’ Ivan and Lithuanian rising star Justinas ‘jL’ Lekavicius.
NAVI showcases new CSGO lineup
Aleksib is a veteran in-game leader who has bounced around multiple top-tier European squads since making a name for himself with ENCE. He was last with Ninjas in Pyjamas after a short stint with G2 Esports.
Despite his relative success with ENCE, he has failed to live up to the high expectations his reputation provides, and will be aiming to find that success again with NAVI.
iM and jL are newer tier-one players, with both making their name thanks to stellar performances at the BLAST Paris Major. iM placed second with GamerLegion at the event and was one of the top players at the tournament where he put up a 1.35 HLTV rating. jL competed with Apeks at the same tournament and helped the squad to a top-four finish.
The new NAVI roster comes as teams are looking to bolster their squads for the second half of the 2023 season and the switch to CS2 on the horizon. There has been no word from Valve on when the switch to the new game will happen exactly. Players and fans still do not know if the next Major, IEM Sydney 2023, will be played on CS2 or CS:GO.
Fans will be able to see how this new NAVI roster will operate as the squad is set to debut at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023.
NAVI’s roster is now the following:
- s1mple
- b1t
- Aleksib
- jL
- iM
- Andrij ‘B1ad3’ Ghorodensjkyj (coach)
