In this series, we take a look at the teams that finished 2020 in the Top 20 rankings. Today we take a look at number 3.

It looked like 2020 finally was the year for the Russian heavy hitter to fulfil their huge potential. A potential which previously has been unresolved, even though possessing a powerful and strong roster. A year were s1mple once again have shown impeccable numbers, carrying his team time after time. 

An outstanding start of the year with several Grand Final appearances was ruined by Covid-19 and its consequences to the CS:GO scene. It was clear that NAVI weren’t thriving during this ‘Online Era’, even though the Russian team improved towards the end of the year.

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In March, NAVI grabbed their biggest title of the year, when they took down the French titans from G2 in the Grand Final of IEM World Championships. The event took place in the iconic CS:GO city Katowice, which have featured countless of big and prestigious tournaments in the history of Counter-Strike.

In the Grand Final Boombl4’s troops ripped kennyS and G2 apart through a crushing 3-0 defeat, meaning that NAVI could grab the staggering $250.000 prize earning.

NAVI managed to qualify to another Grand Final, this time at the big event of IEM Beijing-Haidian at the end of November. The opponent was Vitality and the French Prodigy ZywOo, who at the time stood as the clear ruler of CS:GO.

NAVI and an inhuman s1mple were able to set up a strong 2-0 map-lead, after two stellar performances on Nuke and Dust2 with the Ukrainian putting up a staggering 64-23 K/D. Even though NAVI exercised total dominance, the history of the Russians losing big finals emerged.

And it was exactly what happened. The Frenchmen took over the match, presenting NAVI a devastating defeat through a complete 3-2 resweep. Something, s1mple and company also suffered from in the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Season 12, when they throw away a 2-0 lead against Astralis.  

NAVI still hold a star-studded roster with infinite firepower and the Russian giants always will be a top contender with s1mple on board.

The organization announced last month that they have promoted academy player Valerii "B1T" Vakhovskyi to the main team. By the looks of it, the promotion appears to be a swift transition into a 6-man roster, which have been a rising trend in the game.

NAVI’s first CS:GO action in 2021 will be at BLAST Premier Global Finals on the 19th of January. They are also qualified for the prestigious event IEM Katowice in February, where they will try to reclaim their title from last year.

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Spotlight on the Top 20: Natus Vincere

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