Natus Vincere is a Latin word that means ‘Born to win.’ Natus Vincere, abbreviated NAVI (Na’Vi), is a Ukrainian esports organization founded in 2009. The Avatar movie inspires the NAVI name.
This team has several active rosters in multiple competitive games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, PlayerUnkown’s BattleGrounds, Rainbow Six: Siege, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, FIFA, Paladins, World of Tanks, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Dota 2, etc.
Na’Vi is one of the respected teams in Dota 2’s competitive scene. They have created a buzz in Dota’s esports scene by winning the first esports tournament of Dota 2, The International 2011. Currently, the players of the Na’Vi Dota 2 roster are:
- V-Tune- Position 1
- Nicky’Cool- Position 2
- Laise- Position 3
- Swedenstrong- Position 4
- Malady- Position 5
Na’Vi Dota 2 team’s net worth is $5,085,249 prize money from several esports tournaments.
Table of contents: All you need to know about NAVI
Early days of NAVI
After creating the organization, in October 2010, NAVI announced its first Defense of the Ancients team. The team was composed of the following:
- Goblak
- XBOCT
- Mag~
- Deff-
- Axypa
In December 2010, Dendi and ArtStyle replaced Deff- and Mag~. On 17th June 2011, another roster change happened. Axypa and Goblak have left the team, and Puppey and LighTofHeaveN filled their places.
This team was invited to play The International. With this team combination, NAVI won the first tournament, The International 2011, by defeating EHOME 3-1 in the finals and won prize money of $1,000,000. After winning, ArtStyle left the team.
2012 was also a successful year for NAVI’s Dota 2 roster as they won multiple tournaments, including Star Ladder’s Star Series, The Premier Tournament, etc. In 2012, NAVI took the 2nd spot in The International 2012 by losing to Invictus Gaming by 1-3 in the finals.
In February 2013, ARS-ART was replaced by Funn1k, and Kuroky joined NAVI while LighTogfHeaveN got inactive and left the organization.
In 2013, NAVI picked up an all-female team. The first half of 2013 was challenging for this team as the team struggled to perform in the major tournaments. But NAVI has won the first season of ESL Major Series One.
They have also won Alienware Cup and became one of the few western teams to win a significant Chinese event. In 2013, NAVI again reached the finals of The International and lost to Alliance by 2-3.
After getting qualified in The International 2014, NAVI expanded to North America, but the roster disbanded within a few months. In The International 2014, NAVI finished in 7th/8th place; this was the first time NAVI didn’t qualify for the finals.
NAVI still won StarLadder Series Season 8 and Dota 2 champions League Season 4 in 2014.
During 2011-2014, NAVI won 20 Tournaments and Tier 1 events and made it to three consecutive International finals.
How is it going for NAVI?
From 2015 to 2022, NAVI struggled to perform in the big stages. NAVI has undergone several roster changes, but it didn’t bring any luck in winning major trophies except StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2 in 2016.
NAVI was roster-less after failing to qualify for Frankfurt Major 2015. Four days later, NAVI announced that Dendi and SoNNeikO would return to form a new team. Winning StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2 has helped NAVI to get invited to The International 2016, but the team failed to perform.
During the early stages, NAVI focused on creating a roster based on Ukrainian and Russian players. Still, due to the downfall, the team also tried a European registration by bringing RmN-, Biver, and Pajkatt with XBOCT as the coach, but the team failed to qualify for The International 2017.
NAVI management has brought RodjER and Crystalize into the team.
The team performed well and got first place in Adrenaline Cyber League 2017. But the management swapped RodjER with Lil from Virtus.pro. After SoNNeikO left the group, NAVI brought LeBronDota.
Despite the changes, the team didn’t perform well in the tournaments, and with internal issues, NAVI has swapped LeBronDota with Velheor. But the team has failed to quality again in The International 2018.
NAVI has made a bold move, removed Dendi from the roster, revamped their roster by adding MagicaL, Blizzy, SoNneiko, and Chuvash, and changed the coach. The only retained player was Crystalize. When The International 2019 was around the corner, Chuvash was substituted by Zayac.
After a struggling qualifier, NAVI became last in The International 2019. After the tournament, Zayac left the team, and SoNNeiko got benched. NAVI also tried several players like Illias, So bad, Immersion, Young G, CemaTheSlayeR, 9Pasha, V-Tune, Iceberg, GeneRaL, RodjER, ALWAYSWANNAFLY into the roster. The active squad members are V-Tune, Nicky’Cool, Laise, Swedenstrong, and Malady. We expect this roster will bring back the legacy of this esports organization.
What made NAVI a top team?
Navi is a world-famous esports organization based in Ukraine. In 2010, NAVI created a DotA roster that indicated that the team would focus on the Dota 2 esports team. The team of ArtStyle, Dendi, Puppey, XBOCT, LighTofHeaveN got the invitation to the first annual tournament of Dota 2, The International 2011.
Against all odds, this five-person roster has conquered the first-ever tier-1 tournament by defeating Chinese team EHOME 3–1. From 2011 to 2014, NAVI dominated the Dota 2 esports scene by winning multiple tournaments and setting a milestone for other organizations.
In 2011, 2012, and 2013 NAVI consecutively reached the finals of The International and won 20 s-tier events.
Everyone was mesmerized by the performance of Danil’ Dendi’ Ishutin and Clement’ Puppey’ Ivanov combination. Dendi was one of the best midlaners in the Dota 2 pro scene. As we all know that behind every good carry, there is always the best support. The combination of Dendi and Puppey has skyrocketed the performance graph of NAVI in the Dota 2 circuit.
Have you heard of Dendi Pudge & Puppey Chen Combo fountain hooking? In the upper bracket match of the playoffs in The International 2013, NAVI fell behind in the third match against Tong Fu after a 1-1 series. Tong Fu would win the game if the legendary duo didn’t act so precisely and did the fountain hook.
These skills require so much coordination, yet they did it perfectly in that highly intense match. Their combinations, bond, and proper execution of the skills have created the Legacy of NAVI.
What are the gears pro players of NAVI use?
If you are looking to maximize the in-game experience and do not want to miss a bit or want to build a career based on esports, you can look for a good quality set of setups. Here is a small list of gears that pro players of NAVI use:
1. Logitech G USB PRO X Superlight Wireless Gaming Mouse:
2. Logitech G Pro X Gaming Wired Over Ear Headphones:
3. Logitech G PRO Mechanical Gaming Keyboard:
4. Gaming chair- AndaSeat NAVI Edition Yellow Chair
5. PC Setup:
a. BenQ Zowie Xl2546K Monitor:
b. AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Processor:
c. GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Ultra Motherboard
What more people also want to know about NAVI?
Q: What country is NAVI from?
A: NAVI is an esports organization located in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Q: How many ‘The International’ did NAVI win?
A: NAVI has made it to the finals of 3 consecutive ‘The International’ (2011,2012, and 2013). NAVI won only one ‘The International’ in 2011.
Q: Is Dendi still in NAVI?
A: No, Dendi was removed from NAVI in September 2018. He founded B8 Esports in 2020 and currently playing for B8 Esports.
Conclusion
NAVI’s management struggles to keep its legacy alive due to a lack of performance, which causes frequent roster changes. But the current roster of NAVI looks promising. The perfect coordination between the players can bring the lost legacy of NAVI to the Dota 2 pro scene.
Sometimes, frequent changes also disrupt the performance level. If the players from the current roster perform well and play as a team, NAVI will reclaim their crown and prove themselves as the best Dota 2 team in the world.
