NAVI is in trouble. The team hoped that their bootcamp before the Major would fix things, but not much has changed. Despite qualifying for the playoffs with a 3-1 record, their shaky performance exposed deep issues. 

Poor individual form, inconsistent play, and losses against weaker teams like 3DMAX and G2 highlight the need for roster changes this summer. The team’s tactics often fall apart under pressure, with sloppy mid-round calls and no clear game plan, showing the bootcamp didn’t solve their deeper teamwork problems. With Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev shining for FaZe on loan, questions swirl about his potential return to NAVI.

Stage 3 performance breakdown

Their first match against Nemiga started well, especially on the CT side of Train, but things fell apart after halftime. Justinas “jL” Lekavičius, Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi, and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov played well, but it wasn’t enough to calm fans’ worries.

The next match against 3DMAX was a disaster. NAVI played terribly on Inferno and only won because 3DMAX started making mistakes while leading 12–8. Mihai “iM” Ivan and w0nderful saved the game with some key plays, but it was not a convincing win.

The match against Spirit was worse – NAVI got destroyed. They had a close 13–11 win on Anubis thanks to iM, but then they got demolished on their own map pick, Train. They couldn’t compete with Spirit, and their attack side looked lost and scared.

Then came the do-or-die match against G2 – a team playing with a stand-in and already planning roster changes. Still, NAVI almost lost. They barely won the first map 13–10 thanks to jL. On Anubis, they only won two rounds on the CT side and lost badly. Inferno was close, but again, NAVI struggled. G2 made mistakes, and NAVI won 19–16 in overtime.

Player struggles

Now they’re in the playoffs, but it’s hard to be confident. They might beat a team like FURIA, but against Spirit, Vitality, MOUZ, or FaZe – they’re big underdogs. Even if they somehow win the Major, this roster likely won’t survive the summer. Too many things aren’t working.

w0nderful is having a bad season, with a 6.2 rating and only 70 ADR at the Major, far below his 2024 peak. After a good start, b1t has disappeared . iM is somewhat stable, and jL is starting to show life again, but it’s not enough. It’s especially hard to watch when s1mple – now on FaZe – is playing like a top-five player again. He dragged FaZe into the playoffs and looked amazing after over a year away from pro CS.

S1mple’s shadow looms large

S1mple, NAVI’s star AWPer on loan to FaZe since May 2025, dominated Austin Major with a 7.0 rating, 0.79 kills per round (KPR), 86 average damage per round (ADR), 0.154 opening kills per round, 0.451 AWP kills per round, and two clutches. After 18 months away from Tier-1 CS2, s1mple’s top-5 performance, including rating 7.7 vs. The MongolZ, dragged FaZe to the playoffs. Since s1mple is still under contract with NAVI, maybe he returns. If both sides are open to it, a short-term reunion could happen. Maybe try it for six months and see what works. Compared to w0nderful’s form, this doesn’t seem like a crazy idea.

Conclusion

NAVI’s bootcamp didn’t fix their 2025 woes, and their 3-1 Stage 3 run at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 hides serious issues. Narrow wins over 3DMAX and G2, plus a 0-2 loss to Spirit, show w0nderful and b1t’s struggles, despite iM and jL’s efforts. Their seven-map pool and inconsistent tactics under Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen and Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi are failing, with B1ad3’s complex strategies not clicking for this roster. S1mple’s 7.0 rating and clutch plays for FaZe make his NAVI return tempting, but even a new AWPer might not fix everything if coaching stays the same.