We’re taking a look at NAVI’s performance thus far, and why the S1mple CS:GO Major dream could be over before it’s even begun.

G2 and FaZe have a disastrous Paris Major Legends Stage, not even worth going over bear commenting on. NAVI at least has a semblance of hope remaining.

NAVI in Paris. Credit: BLASTtv on Twitter

Rough Openers

NAVI came into the Paris Major Legends Stage out of practice. Their last competitive match prior was over three weeks ago, which in CS:GO terms is a long time. Admittedly, the team avoided a banana slip in the GamerLegion opener. Better teams have lost to worse in the Paris Major so far. NAVI did a professional job with a 16:10 win, but there was some cause for concern.

It was against Liquid that the cracks really showed. A 16:8 defeat in which they were 14:1 at half-time was a terrible showing, there’s no doubt about it. While Liquid have looked better since their Challengers Stage, they’ve shown themselves to be extremely beatable in this Major. This NAVI CS:GO team could barely dent the North Americans. It topped off a truly awful day for our BLAST.tv Paris Major Legends Stage predictions, with Pick’Ems everywhere doomed.

The main concern will be the reliance on s1mple, CS:GO’s GOAT. Having a player like that always helps, but he can’t do it alone. Against Liquid, he was the only player to go positive. The form of npl will be of concern to the NAVI CS:GO team, too. He was the best player of the entire RMR to get to the Paris Major, but now he’s bottom-fragged both games in a row. His form has seen him take on a more important role on the server, but if he’s performing like this he could sink the entire team.

Tough Ties

Up next for the NAVI and s1mple CS:GO Major dream is NIP. Like NAVI, NIP can be a mixed bag, but they’re hungry. Barring npl, this NAVI CS:GO roster have already won a Major. If both teams are uneven, the difference in the tie could be as simple as whoever wants it more. Do NAVI still have that same hunger for CS:GO success that they had in 2021? Only they can say for sure.

Their next opponents will depend on other results, but either way it’s not pretty. If they win, they face the potential prospect of playing Monte. Considering their history with sdy, this would be a spicy matchup, but not necessarily a favorable one for NAVI. Going down would be disastrous. Results elsewhere could mean they end up facing FaZe just for the chance to stay in the Paris Major.

There’s a very real situation where NAVI and s1mple’s CS:GO Major dream goes on, as they breeze through the Paris Major Legends Stage. Given how the tournament has gone so far, we’d bet on there being a few more twists and turns yet, and NAVI will surely be center-stage for the drama.