NAVI Puts Playoff Goal in Focus on Road to Major

Natus Vincere started PGL Masters Bucharest with a win over G2 in their first match. Both maps were decided by very small margins, and NAVI earned 83 Valve points from the victory. The team climbed ten places in the global VRS ranking to 23rd. According to HLTV's latest projections, NAVI's chance of qualifying for the Major is seen at 98 percent.

When asked whether the Major race was adding extra pressure on the team, player Mihai iM Ivan rejected the idea. Ivan said the team knows how it can play. He also referred to the poor results at the EPL, where the team lost to Vitality, PARIVISION and Falcons. He said they saw the loss to PARIVISION as their own mistakes in particular.

Ivan said the team has taken those lessons and now wants to reach the playoffs to make the path to the Major easier. He also talked about their plans with HyperX Retake. He said he found the win positive, but reminded that a similar start was made at the EPL, so the team should not become complacent.

It also appears the team relaxed after the long overtime match on Dust2. Ivan explained that they chose Nuke because the opponent would not ban it, and that they learned the opponent's positions late. He added that Dust2 is not the team's strongest map, but that they were ready when the opponent picked it.