Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for Na’Vi after a dismal performance last Dota 2 season, the former titans finished dead last in the Eastern Europe DPC Winter Tour with just one win and six losses, meaning they’ll be relegated to the second division following their loss to Nemiga Gaming.
The result was so bad, some people in the Eastern European Dota 2 scene are convinced a sweeping rebuild is inevitable for Na’Vi at this point.
According to Cybersport.RU, X3 coach 633 said: “Honestly, Na’Vi played poorly and they have weird drafts. It seems to me that roster changes are inevitable at this point.”
Popular commentator Dmitry Mortalles Arzhilovsky added to that narrative, saying he doesn’t know if there will be changes, but if there are, it “won’t be easy to attract strong players” now they’ve been relegated with nothing to suggest they’ll be able to bounce back.
As for what the issues are, one analyst narrowed it down to four things: the team being tilted, Arman “Malady” Orazbayev’s transfer not living up to the hype, Nikita “ Nicky`Cool” Ostakhov not gelling with the team, and Alik “V-Tune” Vorobey being too focused on individual performance.
Either way, the results show something has to change. Whether that necessitates a total overhaul is a different story, but pundits seem to be convinced that it does, at least partially.
Since Na’Vi missed out on the Lima Major, they won’t compete again until the Eastern European Division 2 portion of the DPC Spring Tour kicks off in April, where they’ll hope to right their wrongs and work their way back into the top Dota division.
