Does NAVI Need Roster Changes After the Major?

Natus Vincere finished the first half of 2026 in an unusual position. The team lifted trophies at ESL Pro League Season 23 and IEM Atlanta 2026, reached two more grand finals, and remained among the highest-ranked teams in the VRS standings. Yet when the biggest tournament of the season arrived, NAVI failed to make the playoffs.

That result immediately sparked discussions about roster changes. However, the debate is not driven by a disastrous season. Instead, it comes from the gap between NAVI's overall consistency and their inability to deliver at the Major.

The bigger question is whether this lineup has reached its ceiling or whether one disappointing tournament simply exposed weaknesses that can still be fixed.

"1. Does NAVI Need Roster Changes After the Major?","1.1. A System That Depends on Everyone","1.2. Cologne Was Closer Than It Looked","1.3. One of the Oldest Cores in Tier One","1.4. Is iM the Missing Piece?","1.5. Counter-Strike Is More Than Five Ratings","1.6. Why Panic Would Be a Mistake","1.7. Strengthening, Not Rebuilding","1.8. Final Thoughts"

A System That Depends on Everyone

Throughout the last few seasons, NAVI have become one of the best examples of a structured Counter-Strike team. Under B1ad3 and Aleksib, victories rarely come from one player taking over an entire series. Instead, every member performs a clearly defined role, and success depends on nearly everyone playing close to their best.

That formula worked perfectly during ESL Pro League Season 23 and IEM Atlanta, where NAVI looked disciplined, coordinated, and extremely difficult to break down.

The Major told a different story.

Makazze, who had impressed throughout the spring, struggled to find his usual impact during the most important matches. Meanwhile, b1t delivered one of his stronger tournaments, while iM and w0nderful remained solid rather than disastrous. Despite that, NAVI still finished Stage 3 with a 2-3 record and were eliminated before the playoffs.

This highlights the biggest weakness of the current roster.

When one player underperforms, NAVI often lack enough individual firepower elsewhere to compensate. Unlike teams built around players capable of producing superhuman performances, NAVI rely on collective execution. Once that balance breaks, the entire system becomes significantly less effective.

Cologne Was Closer Than It Looked

Looking only at the final standings makes NAVI's Major seem disappointing.

Looking at the matches themselves tells another story.

Against Team Falcons, NAVI led Anubis 11-6 before eventually losing 16-19 in overtime. That defeat forced them into another elimination series against G2, where they once again failed to survive.

A handful of clutch rounds could have completely changed the narrative surrounding the tournament. Instead of discussing roster moves, people might simply have described Cologne as another respectable playoff run.

Margins at the highest level are incredibly small.

Still, the Major exposed recurring issues. After the elimination, B1ad3 spoke not only about mechanics but also about communication mistakes, poor decisions, and situations the team had already prepared for but still failed to execute correctly.

For a team built around structure and discipline, those mistakes become even more costly.

One of the Oldest Cores in Tier One

Roster stability has always been one of NAVI's greatest strengths.

Aleksib and iM joined during 2023, while w0nderful became the team's AWPer later that year. Together with b1t, they have formed the core of the lineup for roughly two and a half years.

In modern Counter-Strike, that is an exceptionally long time.

Most elite organizations have rebuilt significant parts of their rosters since early 2024. NAVI have made only one major change, replacing jL with makazze.

That continuity has allowed B1ad3's tactical system to become incredibly polished.

It has also made NAVI one of the most thoroughly studied teams in professional Counter-Strike.

Opponents now possess hundreds of demos featuring the same in-game leader, the same coaching philosophy, and nearly identical player roles. While tactics continue evolving, long-term familiarity naturally makes adaptation more difficult.

Fresh players do more than improve statistics.

They introduce different decision-making patterns, change late-round communication, and force teammates to rethink established habits. Makazze brought some of that freshness, but one change alone may not be enough to completely refresh a system that has existed for several years.

Is iM the Missing Piece?

Whenever roster discussions begin, one name appears more frequently than any other.

iM.

His breakout performance at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 remains one of the greatest individual Major runs in recent history. Since joining NAVI, however, he has settled into a more consistent role rather than becoming a permanent superstar.

That is not necessarily a criticism.

He has remained a reliable top-tier rifler, finished inside HLTV's Top 20 in consecutive years, and fits naturally into B1ad3's tactical philosophy.

The question is whether that level is enough for a team aiming to win every Major.

Compared to the world's strongest contenders, NAVI often lack a second elite star capable of consistently taking over difficult series alongside b1t.

That is why reports linking NAVI with frozen immediately attracted attention.

The Slovak rifler has established himself as one of Counter-Strike's most consistent players, combining strong mechanical ability with reliable decision-making over multiple seasons.

On paper, replacing iM with frozen would significantly increase NAVI's individual ceiling.

Reality, however, is far more complicated.

Counter-Strike Is More Than Five Ratings

Building an elite roster is not as simple as replacing a player with someone who has better statistics.

Frozen would require important positions, additional resources, and adjustments throughout NAVI's system. His arrival would affect not only iM but also makazze, b1t, and even the way NAVI approach late rounds.

Integrating a player of that caliber would inevitably reshape the team's identity.

That type of risk is only worth taking if the incoming player clearly represents a significant upgrade.

Replacing iM with another solid rifler producing similar numbers would likely weaken the team's chemistry without raising its championship potential.

Why Panic Would Be a Mistake

Despite their Major disappointment, NAVI's overall season remains impressive.

The team won two major tournaments, reached additional grand finals, consistently placed among the world's best teams, and finished the first half of the year inside the top four of the VRS rankings.

That is not a roster in crisis.

B1ad3 has also demonstrated throughout previous seasons that he does not make emotional roster decisions. NAVI resisted making changes after an inconsistent finish to 2025, and the decision was rewarded with multiple trophies during the following months.

The same logic should apply now.

Removing makazze after one disappointing Major would be particularly shortsighted.

The 19-year-old is completing his first full season at the highest level and has already proven capable of becoming one of NAVI's primary sources of aggression. His inconsistency should currently be viewed as part of normal development rather than evidence that the experiment has failed.

Strengthening, Not Rebuilding

Following the loss to G2, B1ad3 admitted that roster adjustments could become necessary before the next season.

He also made it clear that no immediate decisions had been made.

Before considering transfers, NAVI's coaching staff must determine whether the current lineup still possesses realistic championship potential over the long term.

That changes the discussion entirely.

The real question is not who deserves to be removed after one disappointing tournament.

The question is whether there is a player available who genuinely makes NAVI stronger.

Any newcomer must increase the team's firepower, preserve role balance, and introduce fresh ideas without damaging the structure that has already produced multiple championships.

Players capable of doing all three are exceptionally rare.

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Final Thoughts

NAVI may eventually require another roster move.

Their core has remained together for years, opponents understand many of their tendencies, and the lineup occasionally lacks enough individual brilliance to survive when one player struggles.

At the same time, the first half of 2026 proved that this roster still belongs among the world's elite.

They continue winning trophies.

They continue reaching finals.

They remain capable of competing with every top team.

Unless NAVI identify a genuine star who clearly raises their championship ceiling, making a change simply for the sake of change could do more harm than good.

Sometimes the smartest move during the transfer window is recognizing that replacing a great team with a different one is not necessarily an upgrade.