Natus Vincere victory at PGL Major Copenhagen, overcoming the top teams in CS at the moment, shocked all observers. A few months after Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov joined the roster, the team reached its peak at the right time, surpassing major teams like G2 and FaZe on their way to the trophy.
A crucial part of Natus Vincere's success in Copenhagen was the outstanding performance of Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, whose individual play throughout the tournament exceeded all expectations, earning him the MVP award of the Major.
In an exclusive interview with HLTV, Jason "moses" O'Toole interviewed jL, a player for Natus Vincere, discussing numerous topics including jL's transition to NAVI, the impact of s1mple's break, and w0nderful's arrival in the team, as well as NAVI's future goals.
Reflecting on the semifinal against Apeks at BLAST Paris Major, jL delved into his joining Natus Vincere.
“It was a dream that I thought would never become reality because I decided to go down the international path as a professional, and of course, they were from the CIS.”
“Since I received the offer, I always chose NAVI. I had several offers from other teams, but I just put them off until NAVI said: ‘Yes, you're in.’ Once they said that, I canceled other offers and immediately joined NAVI.”
Moses asked jL how he reacted to the news that s1mple announced his break and step back from the game. He mentioned that many were looking forward to playing with him, and his break caused a lot of doubts about how the team would work and function. Moses also asked if it was a strange time within the team.
jL replied that s1mple deserved this break. He noted that s1mple had won everything and achieved everything possible as a player. "s1mple is a huge figure in our scene," said jL. He emphasized that s1mple had been working hard for 12 years, which is an incredibly long time for an esports career, and all the while he was showing outstanding results. According to jL, anyone in s1mple's position would take a break. He also mentioned that international games are a challenge, but for s1mple it doesn't matter much since he has already achieved everything he could. When asked if it was noticeable that s1mple was tired, jL confirmed that it was obvious and inevitable.
Moses asked jL about replacing s1mple with w0nderful and how it affected the team. He noted that no one expected w0nderful to fill s1mple's shoes, as it would be too difficult. Moses wanted to know what w0nderful is like as a player and teammate.
jL responded that w0nderful turned out to be a cool-headed player, which greatly surprised him. He recalled how w0nderful performed excellently in his first official match, better than in practice, and handled the pressure well. In jL’s opinion, w0nderful plays better on LAN than in practice, which is a pleasant surprise.
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Moses also asked what jL considers w0nderful’s best quality as an AWPer. jL noted that w0nderful is very calculated and confident, which is rare among players. He shared that w0nderful often takes the initiative, which energizes the team and makes them feel confident in his support.
In conclusion, the interview touched on the future and goals of Natus Vincere after the team's victory at the Major. “If we don’t stop improving, I don’t think the Major will be our only trophy. I think we are on average halfway or even less than halfway to our true potential,” jL commented.
“I believe that the next step will be to use the Major victory as a confidence booster and keep moving forward. I hope we maintain our current form.”
NAVI’s next tournament will be IEM Dallas 2024, which starts tomorrow, and their first match will be against BIG. Sixteen teams will battle in Dallas for a prize pool of $250,000 and one slot at IEM Cologne 2024.
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