Natus Vincere Continue With Sdy

As revealed by Natus Vincere head coach B1ad3 the Ukrainian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team will continue playing with sdy, who joined the team in June as a replacement for Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov. The announcement was made in NaVi’s YouTube video, where the head coach reflected on the team’s loss in the finals of IEM Cologne 2022 and spoke about the future of NaVi.

“We’ve produced some pretty good results with sdy, placing second in Cologne and winning BLAST, which is not too shabby.”

“That’s why we decided it makes sense to keep going with him as a stand-in,” said BN1ad3.

“The next tournaments are BLAST, EPL, and the next Major, and we’re planning to keep Vitya for these and then decide what to do,” added NaVi’s coach. And with that, he confirmed that sdy would remain on the team for at least the next three months. After that, NaVi will evaluate their options, depending on the performance of the 25-year-old Ukrainian CS:GO pro.

In the same video, B1ad3 continued talking about sdy’s individual performances and development, admitting that he has flaws. Namely, B1ad3 stated that sdy should improve his reactions and in-game decision-making, which was noticeable during NaVi’s run at IEM Cologne.

“His main issue is probably his reaction to certain plays in-game. It’s different both in terms of decision-making and speed.” Still, B1ad3 then added that it is possible for sdy to adapt and get better, but he will need time, which NaVi are giving him in the form of an extended stay for three more months.

“If Vitya can improve his game, adjust to our playstyle and get better, but not even as good as we want him to, we can win tournaments,” concluded B1ad3.

Sdy joined Natus Vincere at the start of June as a replacement for Boombl4, who got removed from the roster in May due to high reputational risk for the club. The 25-year-old arrived at NaVi on loan from MAD Lions, who shut down its CS:GO division just a few months before that.

Since joining the team as a substitute, sdy has played ten official matches with the team and has averaged a 0.98 performance rating. And while his individual performances weren’t great, sdy has helped NaVi reach the finals of BLAST Premier Spring Final and IEM Cologne, winning the trophy in the former.

At IEM Cologne, however, NaVi couldn’t go all the way as they had to admit defeat to FaZe Clan in the finals, losing the series 3-2. In the finals of IEM Cologne, sdy has had a disappointing performance, averaging a positive performance rating on only two maps while producing underwhelming 0.78, 0.80, and 0.56 ratings in the remaining three.

Regardless, sdy has shown improvement during his short stint with NaVi, which earned him another three months with the team to show what he can do. And his first test is just around the corner.

Natus Vincere are currently getting ready for BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2022, slated to kick off on August 19. The tournament will mark the first event following the summer break and a perfect opportunity for NaVi to get back on track.

The tournament will feature 12 CS:GO teams, vying for the lion’s share of the $177,498 prize pool. NaVi got placed in Group B alongside Complexity, G2 Esports, and Team Liquid and will play their first match on Augst 20 when they face off against Complexity.