Mihai “iM” Ivan and NAVI are out of the BLAST.tv Austin Major following a 2-0 loss to Team Vitality. After the match, Pley.gg caught up with the Romanian rifler, who praised his opponents and reflected on NAVI’s ongoing struggles, culminating in a telling statement about the team’s uncertain direction: “We will see what happens.”
After a turbulent 2025 for the organization, NAVI’s future looks increasingly unclear. While they did reach the playoffs in Austin, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the standards expected from a team of their caliber.
“You can say it was a decent Major only because we had a rough season and still made playoffs,” iM told Pley.gg. “But this is not NAVI standard, far from it.”
A fight, but not enough
Despite the 2-0 scoreline, iM pointed out that the match against Vitality was more competitive than it may have looked.
“I’m happy that we put up a fight. We didn’t get stomped like a lot of people expected,” he said. “On Mirage, we were leading for most of the half. A few key rounds slipped, and suddenly it was gone.”
Vitality ultimately proved too much, with William “mezii” Merriman stepping up in key moments and disrupting NAVI’s momentum.
“mezii played a hell of a game. Honestly, anyone on that team can pop off, not just ZywOo. That’s why they’ve won six tournaments,” iM added.
“No idea what we’re going to do”
With NAVI heading into a break before their next tournament, iM was blunt when asked about what comes next for the roster.
“No idea what we’re going to do now. We’re going to have a break, and after that… we’ll see what happens.”
Whether this signals roster changes, a shift in structure, or something else entirely remains to be seen. After another Major disappointment, NAVI fans may have to brace for change.
You can see the full interview down below.
