A Victorious Day for Natus Vincere in the DreamLeague S25 Closed Qualifiers

On Jan 8, 2025, the second day of the DreamLeague S25 closed qualifiers for the Eastern Europe region took place. Both the teams from the upper bracket (winners of the first day) and the lower bracket, where NAVI found themselves, competed that day. It’s important to note that every match in the lower bracket is decisive — losing means elimination from the tournament.

In their first match of the day, NAVI faced off against 1Win Team. Although not the tournament favorites, 1Win is considered a fairly strong team. Learning from their previous day’s performance, NAVI adjusted their strategy, focusing on improved positional gameplay. They claimed the first map of the series with relative ease, but the second map proved more challenging. Midway through the game, their opponents held the advantage. However, a well-executed fight on the midlane allowed Natus Vincere to turn the tide, securing the victory.

This win advanced the team to the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals, where they faced L1GA Team. The first map of the series was intense and closely contested, lasting an hour. The opposing team’s choice of late-game heroes and lane-pushing strategy ultimately led to NAVI’s defeat. The second map was equally tense, lasting 50 minutes. This time, NAVI executed an interesting strategy, focusing on the hero Tiny, which worked out in their favor, leading to a win.

The third map was the deciding factor and was quite different from the previous ones. Natus Vincere opted for even more unconventional hero picks, such as Doom as a carry and Phoenix in the offlane. From the very start, the team played aggressively, showcasing excellent teamwork and leaving almost no chance for their opponents. NAVI dominated the map, winning with a score of 31-8 and closing the series 2-1.

What’s Next for NaVi?

This means that the team will continue their run in the DreamLeague S25 closed qualifiers and will play a match against Virtus.Pro tomorrow.