Coming into The International 2022, only a few had high hopes for NAVI. The team had to go through a stacked Last Chance Qualifiers to make it to the event, and despite failing to do so, they put on an impressive performance. What made it more unique was the fact that the team was going through a series of internal issues during their run, which was also the reason behind Solo and Nooone’s removal from the roster.
With the new Dota Pro Circuit approaching, NAVI completed its roster with two new members, Nikita “Nicky`Cool” Ostakhov and Arman “Malady” Orazbayev. Given the level of experience Solo and Noone brought to the table at NAVI, the decision to bring in two unproven players to replace them looks like a risky trade at first sight. Despite recently breaking into the competitive Dota 2 scene, both Nicky`Cool and Malady had splendid seasons.
Nicky`Cool, currently ranked in the top 60 of the European Dota 2 leaderboards, played in the TI11 qualifiers with Project Armor, while Malady won the second division of Eastern European DPC with Hellraisers.
The 2023 edition of NAVI features Alik “V-Tune” Vorobey, Nikita “Nicky`Cool” Ostakhov, Vladyslav “laise” Lais, Georgii “swedentstrong” Zainalabidov, and Arman “Malady” Orazbayev. The team will pick up the pace in the first division when the competitive Dota 2 action starts in Jan. 2023.
While NAVI is set for the 2023 season, Solo and Noone’s future for the season remains unclear. The two only have a few days to join a team unless they want to take a break from the first DPC tour.
