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It’s been a tough twelve months for this NAVI CS:GO roster. The loss of IGL Boombl4 in circumstances beyond their control led to many struggles, with the team suffering from a lack of identity on the server. After finishing 2021 as CS:GO Major winners, they’d prepared for an era that never came.

From mid-late 2022, NAVI papered over the cracks by using electroNic as IGL. This reduced his own firepower, which wasn’t replaced by stand-in sdy. At the dawn of the new year, the NAVI CS:GO team compiled the final 2023 roster, promoting 17-year-old npl from NAVI Junior.

Full focus on IEM Rio 2023. Credit: Michal Konkol | \u00a9 ESL

Moving npl to the full CS:GO NAVI roster was met with skepticism. NAVI Junior has a strong history, with m0NESY and B1T highlights from recent years. But npl wasn’t pegged as one to watch, and didn’t seem head-and-shoulders above his peers.

It was lots of pressure coming into NAVI, where second best isn’t enough. He buckled at first, posting awful statistics at his first few events. He wasn’t alone – every NAVI CS:GO player struggled. Even s1mple didn’t look his usual self, with many blaming the ongoing impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict for the dip in form and morale.

The first tournaments of 2023 were less than impressive. The BLAST Premier Spring Groups saw them scrape past NIP, and were 2-0’d by G2 twice, too. Then, the latest Intel Extreme Masters event, IEM Katowice 2023, ended in heartbreak at the hands of Heroic. It prompted this remarkable post-match interview from s1mple.

There were rumblings of discontent pre-ESL Pro League Season 17, but they actually showed signs of life. They were unfortunate to face FaZe Clan in the Semi-Final who had a Grand Slam date with destiny. While Semi-Finals aren’t where NAVI wants to be, it was a step in the right direction.

As part of the CS:GO Major schedule, NAVI had to compete in the RMRs to qualify. They made it look easy, going 3-0, although that isn’t why we think in CS:GO NAVI are well and truly back from the dead.

The big reason is npl’s performance. Before, he was the consistent bottom fragger, the whipping boy. But after practice in his role, and time to get used to Tier-1 Counter-Strike, something changed for npl. In just a single event, he went from barely keeping up, to excelling in every match. He peaked against FaZe, top-fragging to carry them to the Legends Stage of the final CS:GO Major. When all was said and done, he ended the Europe RMR A as the highest-rated player at the event.

It remains to be seen if this was a fluke from npl. His teammates look much better for his performances, so they’ll be hoping not. But if he does keep it up, NAVI could be truly back for the first time in twelve months, and have a serious chance to win the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.

For more on NAVI’s past, present, and future, see our CS:GO NAVI profile.