Analyst: NaVi predictable despite elite firepower

On the Snake & Banter podcast, analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg said Natus Vincere is relying on tactics from its 2024 game plan and has become predictable despite carrying top-level firepower. The team was eliminated from BLAST Open Porto 2026 after a 0–2 loss to G2 Esports, dropping Ancient 6–13 and Inferno 10–13 and finishing 9th–12th at the event.

Ellenberg argued the roster continues to run a model built on patterns that produced success in 2024, and opponents now anticipate those patterns. He cited NaVi’s Mirage against M80 as an example where the opposition ‘‘read all of ‘Born to Win’s’ steps in advance,’’ removing the element of surprise the team previously used.

The analyst highlighted specific habits that have become exploitable. He pointed to b1t’s aggressive plays in apps, iM or captain Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen pushing from connector, and jL’s entries from ramp as moves opponents now scout and counter. Ellenberg described this as a recurring pattern rather than isolated errors.

Ellenberg also noted a performance gap between round types: NaVi has shown stronger results in rounds using Tec-9s or Desert Eagles than in structured full executes where the team attempts committed, heavy-weapon attacks. He drew attention to a mismatch between individual and team results, saying the roster includes three or four players who rank among the world’s top 20 while the squad does not sit inside the global top five.

He described the lineup as ‘one of the most powerful in terms of firepower, but one that is practically incapable of winning trophies.’ The podcast episode aired shortly after NaVi’s exit from Porto. The defeat, executed under a game plan led by Aleksib, ended the team’s run at the event and concluded their participation in the tournament.