NAVI does not withdraw from HyperX Retake despite schedule clash

Natus Vincere is among the teams registered for HyperX Retake Season 13, which will be played in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 29 to November 1. The prize pool of the 16-team LAN tournament is 16,996 dollars.

The organization had until October 19 to withdraw from the event. The tournament overlaps with PGL Masters Bucharest, held October 24 to 31. IEM Beijing, held November 2 to 8, will begin less than a day after it ends. NAVI remained registered when the deadline passed.

The move is driven by concern over the Major. The team performed poorly in the fall season and dropped out of the top 20 in the VRS rankings in September. Two valuable LAN wins at ESL Pro League Season 24 brought a short-term recovery, but NAVI is currently 30th in the VRS. The teams below are also trying to close the gap.

On HLTV's simulation page, the team's chance of qualifying for the Major appears as 96.6 percent. This figure may be misleading. The calculation assumes that NAVI will play in two tournaments before the invitation deadline and will win at least some matches, especially against lower-ranked opponents.

The team list in Lisbon has not been completed yet. This could place NAVI in a GSL group of only three teams. In such a case, the team could lose the chance to get one of the LAN wins it needs to secure its invitation.