The first Major in the history of CS2 has concluded. The coveted trophy of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 was claimed by Natus Vincere. The event was unexpected in every aspect. The team of Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen wasn't a favorite before the tournament, nor before the playoffs, nor before the final itself. This article from Bo3.gg delves into NAVI's playstyle and whether it can bring more trophies.
The Birth of a Style
When the current NAVI roster was first assembled, it mostly evoked skepticism and doubt within the community. The initial results of the team only reinforced this opinion. Following that, the team's main star, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev, departed. It seemed like NAVI was doomed. Everyone had long been accustomed to the idea that every top lineup had a star player around whom the team was built. NAVI proved that it could be different.
Time passed, Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov joined instead of s1mple, and everything started anew. s1mple's departure allowed the team to find a new identity, change its approach, and unlock the potential of other roster members, thereby becoming a more diverse and versatile team. Immediately, the atmosphere within the team improved, and the players' actions on the server became more confident and uninhibited.
As early as December 2023, we noticed NAVI's amusing playstyle. Almost every match, the team would start by conceding a significant advantage to their opponents. Then they would have to catch up and make a comeback. Contrary to all predictions, NAVI repeatedly managed to push the match into additional rounds and subsequently win. Aleksib confirmed in interviews that victories were hard-fought for the team, and there was still much work ahead. Three months later, it turned out that there wasn't so much work to be done after all.
Psychology
Immediately after the new roster was signed, psychologist Urszula "Xirreth" Klimczak joined the team. This is perhaps one of the club's key transfers in recent years. Before her arrival, Aleksib stated that NAVI needed a psychologist because the players were losing matches to themselves and constantly tilting.
Considering that after Xirreth joined, the team's results immediately improved, it means she is doing an excellent job. Subsequently, NAVI, together with her, created ideal conditions for w0nderful's integration into the team, and thanks to this, his adaptation went almost unnoticed. Thanks to Ursula, the team found keys that allowed them to switch players onto the winning path during the match.
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 — Only the Beginning
NAVI's style of play has transformed. If before the team would lose the start and then come back into the game, now it's the opposite. More often than not, NAVI confidently lead in the first half, then allow their opponents to make a comeback, but ultimately snatch victory for themselves. One might think that with such play, trophies might be out of reach, but that's not the case. Perhaps they do it intentionally? To make it more hurtful for their opponents?
In NAVI, everything relies on good relationships between players and psychology. Throughout the entire Major, the team seemed average at best. NAVI literally clawed their way to victory on every map. If s1mple were still in the lineup, we would likely see tilt affecting all members of the team, but now it was different.
Despite numerous difficulties, at the most crucial moments, NAVI found a second wind and turned the course of the match around. Additionally, Aleksib and Ivan "iM" Mihai didn't have their best performances, but what did the team do? Other players, the coach, and the psychologist supported them, and thanks to this synergy, they became champions of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Thanks to this approach, NAVI can turn the tide of any match and face any opponent, and the Major in Copenhagen could be the starting point for future trophies.
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 took place from March 17 to 31 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The teams competed for a prize pool of $1.25 million. You can find more details about the tournament results via the link.
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