Na`Vi eliminated from ESL CIS League with loss to Team Spirit

Natus Vincere’s journey through the EPIC CIS League Spring tournament ended in shocking disappointment as the CS:GO powerhouse crashed out in sixth position following multiple unexpected defeats across both group stage and playoff matches.

Entering as one of the tournament favorites alongside established rivals Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro, Na`Vi’s premature departure yielded a mere $2,000 prize—a stark contrast to their championship aspirations. The team’s consecutive playoff losses to underdog squads Akuma and Team Spirit marked their most disappointing competitive outcome since the ESL One: Road to Rio event over a year prior.

The CIS squad began the $40,000 competition on unstable footing, dropping their second preliminary encounter to Entropiq’s freshly assembled Russian lineup. While the overtime defeat stung, subsequent victories against Gambit, GRONG, and PEPSI ensured their advancement to the elimination stage.

s1mple struggles as Natus Vincere crashes out

Na`Vi’s convincing group stage triumph over Gambit Esports makes their subsequent elimination particularly perplexing for analysts and fans alike. Star sniper Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev delivered strong numbers during that matchup, securing a 41-33 kill-death ratio across the two-map series. Despite Gambit representing the primary obstacle to Natus Vincere’s championship ambitions, the team couldn’t maintain that level of play when it mattered most.

The Ukrainian phenom captured attention during the playoff round against rising contenders Akuma, though not for the exceptional plays that built his legendary status. His opening map performance on Mirage stands as arguably the most disappointing individual showing throughout his entire professional CS:GO tenure, resulting in an unprecedented .20 HLTV rating with merely five frags throughout the entire match. This catastrophic individual display directly contributed to Na`Vi’s demotion to the lower bracket.

A convincing 2-0 win against forZe provided temporary optimism, but Team Spirit swiftly extinguished that hope during the quarterfinal encounter. A competitive first half on Mirage collapsed under Spirit’s dominant terrorist-side execution, culminating in a 16-12 victory. The subsequent map offered even less resistance, with Spirit establishing a commanding 10-5 halftime advantage and maintaining control for a decisive 16-8 conclusion.

While team defeats always involve collective responsibility, each of Na`Vi’s losses featured at least one player delivering particularly concerning individual statistics. Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy concluded the Entropiq group stage match with a devastating 17-42 K-D ratio and 43.5 average damage per round. s1mple’s disastrous Akuma performance requires little additional commentary, though Valerii “B1T” Vakhovskyi likely welcomed the diversion from his subpar 11-frag performance on Dust 2. Team captain Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov registered an alarming 6-17 scoreline during the second map against Team Spirit.

The synchronization of these individual slumps created a perfect storm of underperformance that proved impossible to overcome. Professional CS:GO organizations inevitably experience peaks and valleys, but the EPIC CIS League Spring represented a definite valley for Natus Vincere. The roster will attempt to recover their championship form at the upcoming StarLadder CIS RMR 2021 commencing June 27th. Ten competing squads will battle for the event’s $100,000 prize distribution and 8,750 CIS Regional Major Rankings points critical for major qualification.

Looking ahead, Natus Vincere faces immediate pressure to demonstrate they can rebound from this disappointing showing. The StarLadder CIS RMR represents not just another tournament but a critical opportunity to regain competitive momentum and secure valuable ranking points. The team’s ability to address the synchronized performance issues revealed during this event will determine their trajectory through the remainder of the competitive season.

For teams experiencing similar slumps, focusing on fundamental retraining and team communication exercises often yields the quickest recovery. Many professional squads have successfully navigated such setbacks by returning to core gameplay principles rather than attempting complex strategic overhauls under pressure.

The upcoming tournament’s expanded prize pool and RMR points distribution make it essential viewing for CS:GO enthusiasts. Natus Vincere’s response to this adversity will reveal much about their championship mettle and long-term viability as a top-tier competitor.

No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » Na`Vi eliminated from ESL CIS League with loss to Team Spirit Analyzing Natus Vincere's shocking EPIC CIS League elimination and s1mple's career-worst performance