Aleksib: NAVI aim to earn IEM Atlanta title vs GamerLegion

Natus Vincere captain Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen said the team will prove they deserve the IEM Atlanta trophy after ending a long losing run to Vitality and sweeping BetBoom to reach the final in Atlanta.

NAVI beat Vitality 2-1 in the quarterfinal on May 15, marking their first map win over Vitality since IEM Cologne 2024. The team then defeated BetBoom 2-0 in the semi-final on May 16. NAVI will play GamerLegion in a best-of-five grand final on May 17 at 18:15 local time. NAVI met GamerLegion twice in the group stage and won both matches.

After the semi-final, Aleksib described a difficult start on Ancient where NAVI struggled on the T-side with limited utility and uneven buy rounds that left players using Galils or trading weapons. He credited late, high-pressure rounds and clutch plays by himself and makazze for turning the CT half and carrying momentum into Nuke. “It was rough for us,” he said.

The captain pointed to crowd support during the Vitality match and in Atlanta as a factor for team confidence. He noted the team had faced repeated losses to Vitality in recent events and said the quarterfinal result changed that trend.

On the upcoming match against GamerLegion, he expressed confidence in a longer format while warning that GamerLegion will be motivated after their group-stage losses. “We played them two times, we won both times. Doesn’t mean we’re gonna take it any less serious,” he added, saying NAVI will prepare and rest before the final.

Aleksib also framed the Atlanta run as preparation ahead of the IEM Cologne Major, saying the win over Vitality and the deep result give NAVI momentum going into the larger event. He said the team aims to perform well in the final and to show they deserve the trophy.