Lithuanian player Natus Vincere Justinas “jL” Lekavicius shared his thoughts in an interview with BLAST before the start of Blast.tv Austin Major 2025 Stage 3. This season has been a difficult one for NAVI, but jL expressed confidence as he prepared for the final event of the season.

Preparing for the Major

During a conversation at the bootcamp before the Major, jL touched on the team's results this year, his individual form, and the impact of criticism from the community. He noted that feelings before the Major depend on your point of view, and he is now feeling optimistic about the future as the team goes through bootcamp.

On the fourth day of bootcamp, after some initial difficulties, the team began to polish their maps, which gives him confidence. jL compared the current preparation to that before PGL Copenhagen, where, despite the lack of high expectations, the team still made progress. He emphasized that if they continue in this spirit, they have a chance.

Looking back at the bootcamp before PGL Copenhagen, it was feeling pretty much the same.

Justinas “jL” Lekavicius

jL also noted that boot camps are useful, but they are not the only reason why the team is not playing as well as before. He recalled that in 2024, they did not rely too much on boot camps, and although they are better than online practice, this does not explain their current form.

It really depends how you want to look at it. Right now, I'm feeling optimistic and looking into the future because we're undergoing a bootcamp. It's currently our fourth day at the bootcamp, and it was looking pretty stiff at first, but now we're getting some maps polished. It feels good. It gives me a lot of confidence. Looking back at the bootcamp before PGL Copenhagen, it was feeling pretty much the same. We didn't have a lot of hopes, but we're doing good preparations and I feel like we're doing great now. So if we keep at it, we do have a chance.

Justinas “jL” Lekavicius

Challenges and Analysis

jL was candid about what was holding the team back. He acknowledged that their understanding of the game was below that of the top teams, and although it seemed easy on the surface, the situation was different in the game. All the players had lost some of their “firepower,” but the main problem was teamwork. He emphasized that synergy naturally improves when everything is going well, but when things are bad, you need to work together and make sacrifices to revive it.

jL also touched on the topic of individual ratings, noting that they are subjective and do not matter much if the team wins tournaments. He believes that it is necessary to work on creating openings so that players can show their potential.

I don't know. There's a lot of stuff, of course. Understanding of the game is below the top teams for sure. I mean, it feels easy outside the game, but once you join the game, you have to do those things and it's a bit different. All of us fell off in terms of firepower, but it comes down to our team play. I don't know, there's a lot of reasons.

Justinas “jL” Lekavicius

Criticism and Confidence

jL expressed the opinion that criticism from the community does not matter if you are confident in the team. It is important what you think about the team, and if you are confident, then the opinions of others do not matter. He also noted that the team can return to last year's level, as it has shown this before, and if it continues to work, it will be able to do so. jL mentioned the comments of “experts” on FACEIT, who often criticize, but he does not consider their opinion to be valid. He is confident that the team knows the way and just needs to make an effort.

No, I don't think it matters what they say. It only matters what you think. If you think poorly about your team, think the public comments will only reinforce those emotions. But if you're confident in the team, you feel like you're working towards a better goal, and you're improving together, I don't think it matters.

Justinas “jL” Lekavicius

Of course we can. I mean, we've shown it, and we show a lot of good rounds in the tournaments that we've played previously and if we did it once, we can do it again. Of course, it's not going to be as easy, but we still know the way, and we just have to grind it out. And to the level fours who are commenting weird stuff, why would you even listen to them? I don't know, it just makes me cringe that people actually put out this opinion when they have no idea what they're talking about. They just create random stories and give their opinion. They have no idea what's going on.

Justinas “jL” Lekavicius

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 takes place from June 3 to 22 in Austin, USA, with a prize pool of $1,250,000. You can follow the news, schedule, and tournament results via this link.