After being eliminated from the IEM Cologne Major in Stage 3, NAVI returned to top-tier competition for the first time and kicked off their Esports World Cup campaign with a victory over 3DMAX. Ahead of the season, the team considered making roster changes but ultimately decided to keep their current lineup. In an interview with HLTV, Andriy “B1ad3” Gorodensky explained why the potential roster changes never happened, how the team prepared for the new season, and shared his thoughts on Cache’s return.
Why didn’t NAVI change their roster
After the end of last season, NAVI seriously considered the possibility of revamping its roster. The team analyzed its results and looked for options that could make it stronger in the new season. B1ad3 said that the organization had been in contact with agents and discussed potential transfers, and that they had even considered specific options on multiple occasions. However, the negotiations proved challenging: there was competition for some players, and other teams were also making their own offers. Ultimately, NAVI came close to making changes but was unable to finalize them.
At the same time, the club decided not to view retaining the current roster as a failure. According to B1ad3, the team has gained significant experience working together, and it was precisely this chemistry that was one of the reasons behind NAVI’s two tournament victories last season. Therefore, the coach believes this asset should not be underestimated: instead of making hasty changes, the team decided to start the new season with the same roster, but with new goals and maximum motivation.
B1ad3 also emphasized that NAVI does not want to find itself in a situation where a stable roster gradually stops developing. So now the main task is to leverage the five players’ established chemistry while simultaneously injecting new energy into the team. According to the coach, he already sees the necessary desire and determination in the players, so the current roster is continuing the season not because of a lack of alternatives, but with the clear intention of becoming stronger.
How NAVI Prepared for the New Season and Why They Missed the BLAST Bounty
B1ad3 believes that maintaining the team’s motivation requires not grand statements about their potential, but concrete work on correcting mistakes. During their post-match reviews, NAVI analyzed the tournaments they played and individual rounds in detail, identifying exactly where the team lost its advantage. According to the coach, the current roster has a significant advantage thanks to their long history of working together: over this time, the players have accumulated a wealth of teamwork experience and have a deep understanding of each other’s moves. Now, NAVI’s task is not just to preserve this foundation, but to continuously build upon it. Cache is set to serve as an additional tool for this, which the team plans to use to create unexpected problems for their opponents.
B1ad3 paid special attention to the decision to skip BLAST Bounty and take a longer break before the start of the season. The coach convinced management that a few extra weeks of preparation would benefit the team more than an early official tournament. After their break, the players needed to get back into shape, refresh their strategies, and gradually rebuild their teamwork. According to B1ad3, NAVI was able to go through this process calmly and without rushing in Barcelona: map by map, the team trained, corrected mistakes, and prepared for official matches. Another factor was that a poor performance in an early tournament could have negatively impacted their VRS ranking, whereas thorough preparation allowed NAVI to enter the new season significantly stronger.
Cache Could Be NAVI’s Ace at the Start of the Season
Following the previous map pool rotation, NAVI found themselves in a difficult situation: Train—a strong map for the team—was replaced with Overpass, which became a permanent ban for “Born to Win.” According to B1ad3, this had a significant impact on the team, as NAVI had virtually no opportunity to use Overpass in official matches throughout the entire season. Now the situation has changed—following the latest rotation, Overpass has been removed, and Cache has returned to the pool. This opens up significantly more opportunities for NAVI, as the team already has a long-standing chemistry and can leverage it to master the new map.
B1ad3 didn’t reveal exactly how much time NAVI devoted to preparing for Cache, but he confirmed that the team has been working on all the maps in the pool. The coach sees Cache as an opportunity to gain an edge over their opponents, especially at the start of the season when there haven’t been many official matches played on it yet. At the same time, true readiness can only be tested at a LAN event: training doesn’t carry the same pressure as a match, where every decision matters. That’s why two consecutive tournaments following an extended bootcamp should help NAVI better understand their capabilities on the new map.
As for results, the team’s ambitions remain unchanged—NAVI aims to compete for the top spots in every tournament and gradually build momentum leading up to the season’s major competitions. B1ad3 emphasizes that the development process itself is what matters most to the roster right now: if the team fails to achieve the necessary results by the end of the year and stops making progress, the question of changes will once again become relevant.