IEM Cologne, the second IEM Masters Championship of 2021, is set to begin on July 6th. Natus Vincere has been one of the strongest overall competitors in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive throughout 2021 so far. Despite having been overshadowed by their phenomenal regional rivals Gambit, Na’Vi has still made waves in the majority of events they’ve attended. This team certainly has the potential to go all the way in Cologne.
NAVI will be looking for yet another trophy here at IEM Katowice (Image Credit ESL)
|
Team: Natus Vincere |
||||
|
Players |
||||
|
s1mple |
electronic |
Boombl4 |
Perfecto |
B1T |
|
Roles |
||||
|
AWPer |
Rifler |
In-Game Leader |
Support |
Rifler |
|
Most Played Maps |
Highest WR Map |
Most Banned Map |
||
|
Dust2 |
Mirage |
Inferno |
Nuke |
Vertigo |
Showing up Often
Aside from Gambit, Na’Vi has been the most successful team in terms of results this year. Of the six non-qualifier events they’ve attended, Na’Vi has made Grand Finals in half of them. Two of those appearances also resulted in a trophy for their cabinet. While Na’Vi’s first win did come at the first tournament of the year, the BLAST Global Final, they have much more recent results after their dip in early Spring. Na’Vi’s most recent endeavor at the BLAST Spring Finals ended in a second-place finish behind Gambit.
Star Power Setups
The biggest factor in Na’Vi’s frequent success has to be the presence of s1mple. The Ukrainian superstar has already cemented his legacy as one of, if not the best CS:GO player of all time. He hasn’t slowed down either. S1mple has maintained an HLTV rating of 1.30 or higher for the past year straight. His K-D difference over these last 12 months is an insane +1336. While s1mple does get dropped an AWP frequently, he’s no stranger to the AK-47. With his weapon prowess, s1mple has not lost a 1v2+ clutch in three straight months.
Still, Na’Vi have more than just one player. Electronic is an amazing Rifler who consistently performs as Na’Vi’s secondary carry. His rating has been a consistent 1.10 or higher which is not an easy feat. B1T has also been able to come in as flamie’s replacement and frag with the best of them. While they don’t have a dedicated entry fragger, in-game leader Boombl4 takes the biggest share.
Na’Vi excels at enabling s1mple and electronic to get as many kills as possible. Boombl4 and Perfecto play very supportive roles as a result. Boombl4 plays with utility very well. He averages 1.00 Flashbangs thrown per round with an average blind time of 2.29 seconds, making for very easy kills very often. Perfecto does most of Na’Vi’s lurking, often in aggressive patterns to gather as much info as possible.
The Sum of Their Parts
The pieces are all there for Na’Vi to be the best CS:GO team in the world. They have star fraggers, tactical depth, and a mix of experienced veterans and younger talent. The biggest flaw of Na’Vi overall has to be their inconsistency. If s1mple is the only player on the server hitting his shots, Na’Vi look much weaker than they should. Na’Vi are at their best when multiple players are nearing or even passing s1mple on the scoreboard. When they are firing on all cylinders, almost no one can take them down.
Na’Vi’s first match at IEM Cologne will take place on July 8th. Can the CIS giant put everything together and earn yet another title to their expansive collection?
