The NAVI team shared a new vlog from BLAST Open Spring 2025 in Lisbon, in which the players spoke frankly about their expectations, the mood within the team, as well as the reasons for the defeat in the quarterfinals of the tournament against Spirit (0:2).

"It was our fault"

Even before the match, NAVI players took Spirit seriously, given their previous defeats against them, in particular in the semifinals of IEM Katowice. jL noted:

I think it's going to be an interesting match. It's not going to be easy. We have to give our best, because last time they beat us 2-0 in Katowice. But we beat them in the group. So at least we have a five percent chance of success.

 Justinas "jL" Lekavičius   

Despite such cautious expectations, NAVI failed to show a decent game. Prior to the 0-2 defeat in the quarterfinals, iM noted that it was “our own fault” for the poor performance in the group stage:

It's our own fault. We lost to Eternal Fire, so we deserved the loss. If you want to win the tournament, you have to beat the best.

Mihai "iM" Ivan  

Difficult start and a new uncomfortable rival, The MongolZ

We also discussed the matches with The MongolZ team, an unexpected rival in recent months. According to iM, NAVI could not quickly adapt to their unusual style:

The MongolZ are really strong. They just fly forward, they are not afraid to make mistakes. They can send one guy to die, and then four of them can play a post-plunge. Nobody else plays like that, only they do.

Mihai "iM" Ivan  

The team admitted that they were underestimated at the ESL Pro League and paid for it with a defeat. However, in the group stage, BLAST NAVI managed to take revenge, but the game was very nervous.

“The main problems are now in the game, not outside it”

One of the most important questions was about the atmosphere in the team and active rumors about possible replacements in the squad, especially around the sniper w0nderful. The NAVI iM player frankly shared his opinion:

There's a lot of noise around w0nderful right now. I went through it myself - I lost a couple of matches and immediately '-iM + this guy'. The best option is to simply not read it. It can really hit your confidence. Everyone in the team is going through a tough period, not just him. Just stick with your teammates and listen to the team, not someone on the Internet.

Mihai "iM" Ivan  

It is important that the NAVI players emphasize the game problems:

“We are now primarily working on team problems. If we fix them, remove small mistakes, everyone will play better.”

Aleksib shared his vision of the team's growth:

When the team grows and succeeds together, it gives a huge motivation to continue. I know what it's like to train, play, communicate with the team, and feel that something is going wrong. Maybe someone isn't giving their best, maybe things aren't going so smoothly at training.

Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen  

These words reflect the importance of team unity for NAVi. Aleksib emphasizes that internal mutual support and constant analysis of one's own game is the key to overcoming difficulties and achieving success, even if sometimes things go wrong.

Motivation to play on stage and support from fans

For many NAVI players, matches on stage are of particular importance. The team admits that they didn't have enough of these opportunities this year. w0nderful shared his emotions:

I really want to play on stage because we didn't have many opportunities this year. I think there was only one - against Spirit, and we lost. So we didn't really feel the atmosphere. Now everything will be different, I'm sure.

Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov  

The author of the vlog, Tonya Predko, also noted the strong support of the fans even after unsuccessful performances:

It's a real sadness that it was our only match on stage in Lisbon. But our fans were just the best. They support us to the end, even after the defeat. Of course, the guys are upset, but they really felt this support. We will come back stronger.

Tonya Predko

Bottom line: what's next for NAVI?

The new vlog gave us a better understanding of NAVI's internal problems and experiences. The team honestly admits mistakes, analyzes rivals, and does not hide from criticism. The coming months will be crucial for the team - fans expect that after a detailed analysis of their mistakes, NAVI will be able to return to the winning track.

In the meantime, the main conclusion is that the team is aware of its difficulties, but does not lose faith in its strength and maintains internal unity, which should be the key to success in the future.