The honeymoon phase for NAVI’s recent tournament run might be officially over. While the organization has been celebrating a trio of titles—IEM Atlanta, ESL Pro League Season 23, and StarLadder Fall 2025—former coach Mykhailo "kane" Blagin has stepped in to pour cold water on the excitement. According to him, these trophies have "blurred a brutal reality": NAVI hasn't actually been beating the best teams in the world.
A Selective Path to Glory
Kane’s critique centers on the bracket composition of these events. His breakdown is damning: at IEM Atlanta, Vitality was the only top-5 side present, and they were reportedly underprepared. At ESL Pro League Season 23, the field was missing major contenders like Vitality and Falcons, while other heavy hitters like Spirit and MOUZ were knocked out before they could ever face the Ukrainian squad. StarLadder Fall 2025 was even more glaring, with not a single top-10 team in attendance.
For a team of NAVI's pedigree, winning trophies is the baseline, but Kane argues that the path to these victories was paved by the absence of elite opposition. When they did face the true titans of the scene, the results were often one-sided in favor of the opponent.
The iM Dilemma and Structural Concerns
Beyond the tournament results, Kane has turned his sights on the roster itself, specifically the role of iM. At 27, the Romanian rifler is facing mechanical pressure from a younger, faster generation of players. Kane suggests the team is stuck in a cycle of "half-measures," opting to work around the issue rather than solving it. He proposes two distinct paths: transitioning iM into a more passive, leadership-oriented role that utilizes his game sense, or accepting that he will continue to lose individual duels to rising stars.
This criticism comes at a precarious time. NAVI was recently swept by G2 at BLAST Open Fall 2026, marking their third consecutive event without a meaningful impact. With the team struggling to find consistency against top-tier rivals, the pressure on B1ad3 and the core is mounting.
For those tracking the team's form, you can check the latest matches or dive into our MyEsports predictions to see if the market shares Kane’s skepticism ahead of the next Team/Tournament appearance.