European esports powerhouse Natus Vincere (NAVI) has stirred up excitement with the announcement of its revamped junior roster for Counter-Strike 2. Known for nurturing esports talent, NAVI is making strategic moves to fortify its future line-up and bolster its competitive edge.
New Faces Join NAVI Junior
The fresh roster features the promising talents of Mihai-Andrei ‘satsu’ Dobrin, Rene Robin ‘R3ZLOO’ Rafael Wallenius, and David ‘FAZERY’ Procházka. These new players will collaborate with NAVI VISA Academy graduates Nazar ‘Kodak’ Buchma and Danil ‘yoki’ Istomin. The team will be under the expert guidance of coach Michał ‘snatchie’, who earned his stripes by impressively steering NAVI Youth.
In a statement, coach snatchie expressed his enthusiasm: “We’ve finally completed our roster, and I’m really proud of the team we’ve built. There’s a lot of hard work ahead of us. I truly believe that with dedication and commitment, we can achieve great results. My goal is to help every player grow to a level where they’ll be ready to represent the main NAVI roster in the future.”
NAVI first opened its applications for the Counter-Strike 2 roster back in August, targeting aspiring pro players aged 15 to 17 years old. This move came after selling its previous junior team to FUT Esports on August 1st, 2025, for an undisclosed fee.
NAVI in 2025
The year 2025 has been a whirlwind for Natus Vincere in the Counter-Strike esports landscape. Their crowning achievement was clinching the title at the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025, where they bested Ninjas in Pyjamas with a clean 2-0 victory, winning $200,000. This success followed their invite to the tournament, thanks to their top-tier VRS placement in July 2025.
NAVI’s impressive performance didn’t stop there. They achieved high placements at the Thunderpick World Champions, securing second place, and finished fourth at the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025. Despite narrowly missing the $1m ESL Grand Slam Season 5 award to Team Vitality, NAVI showcased remarkable consistency.
A significant shift occurred when their star player Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev departed after nine years, joining BC.GAME on July 28th, 2025, as their AWPer for Counter-Strike 2. This transition marked a new chapter for both NAVI and s1mple, leaving fans eager to see how the team evolves and adapts.