NaVi and s1mple won their first CSGO Major at PGL Stockholm 2021. The adventure up to Major was epic and never short of excitement.
S1mple was s1mple0 for quite a long time. It is a well-known meme in the CSGO community. Sasha still keeps the name as Twitter handle affectionately.
It is a reminder of the pain and persistence of the GOAT of CSGO, NaVi s1mple. But, the story has just begun.
Enjoy all 33 frags @s1mpleO dropped in the match against @TeamLiquidCS at the #BLASTWorldFinal 2021!
🎥: https://t.co/OUhrWr08Ik#CSGO #navination pic.twitter.com/QCkDSokiiH
— NAVI (@natusvincere) January 12, 2022
Also read: CSGO Roster Changes: Fallen, “THE PROFESSOR” now a free agent as Team Liquid release him.
S1mple joined NaVi in 2016 after getting homesick while in Team Liquid. The Ukrainian prodigy was making news everywhere he went. But, the winning formula was always missing.
Except, good things come to people who wait. Consequently, the rise of the CIS region in ESports has been immense in 2021. More so with Team Spirit‘s exploits at The International 2021.
Team Spirit are the Grand Champions of The International 10. Congratulations. They take home $18 Million Dollars. The Aegis of Champions returns to Eastern Europe after a decade. #TI10 #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/kGo0MUYI3z
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) October 17, 2021
In Valorant too, the presence and dominance of the Eastern European teams were clearly visible. Gambit Esports has made a serious statement throughout 2021, with Masters Berlin win.
The CIS region has been quite dominating in ESPorts in 2021. CSGO, Dota 2 and Valorant to name a few.
Let’s recall the most memorable moments of NAVI #CSGO at the #BLASTPremier World Final 2021!
📽️: https://t.co/nvVoVUMiqE#navination pic.twitter.com/G7rkD0stOn
— NAVI (@natusvincere) December 27, 2021
CSGO Teams from around the world are feeling the pressure. It is awkward for the most part for most teams. They cannot move the mountain, named NaVi.
To be fair, only Gambit ESports showed some resilience against NaVi and S1mple. NaVi suffered in the early stages of 2020 in online matches. Except, Sasha always continued going, match after match, series after series, round after round.
S1mple and Electronic together build the most dynamic team ever. The energetic young IGL Booml4, dynamic Perfecto and young prodigy b1t.
Also read: EliGe showcases an absolutely mental Ace in a CSGO match on Twitch Livestream.
.@b1tcs‘ performance at 2021’s biggest events and in Big matches propelled him to the 9th spot during his rookie year on the Top 20 player ranking!
Powered by @ggbet_en pic.twitter.com/YnPA5tMPmA
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) January 14, 2022
An old saying goes like this, “When the going gets hard, the hard get going.” And man did it get hard. As the skill cap increased and map changes rolled in, the meta shifted completely.
NaVi and Sasha were working their a***s off. And, it was clearly visible from their setups and overall performance. As the BLAST Premier World Finals 2021 rolled in, Natus Vincere was a completely different monster.
Oleksandr “S1mple” Kostyliev’s journey to unquestioned greatness has never been, s1mple. He had to wait six years for the timing to be exactly right to win a major.
S1mple won his first CSGO major with NaVi at PGL Stockholm.
On top of that, he has helped build the most successful CSGO prodigy ever. NaVi b1t has stats no one ever matches if the wins continue. b1t has won every LAN tournament he has visited since 2020.
6 out of 6 LANS to be precise. Currently, the world will be looking at NaVi to continue the unbeaten Streak. But, the teams suffered most in the PGL Stockholm Major 2021.
Time to read the interview with NAVI @b1tcs for @HLTVorg!
📰: https://t.co/9UuEUKFr3U#CSGO #navination pic.twitter.com/fmfs8kA9LI
— NAVI (@natusvincere) January 14, 2022
NaVi won the entire tournament without dropping a single Map! That is insane. 2-0 on every matchup, from start till finish. Vitality, G2 and online era gods, Gambit were the final victims to NaVi and s1mple’s fabled Major.
Teams understood the era of NaVi Nation had just begun. Teams are desperate to get a single win since 2020 online tournaments. Hence, a shakeup was necessary.
Also read: Why do Chinese Dota 2 players play on SEA servers? PSG.LGD y` explains.
The CSGO Pro Market is quite active at the moment, due to NaVi and s1mple ‘s dominance.
I kept my word, I won the Major with the best organization in the world and the best people I have ever played with, thank you all for your support, this is the best thing that happened to me #navination #PGLMajor #Champs pic.twitter.com/ngSyRSz464
— Sasha (@s1mpleO) November 7, 2021
If there was any Major ever that needed to be won, this was it. The PGL Stockholm Major carried much more of a symbolic hope for a lot of teams. The build-up to the Major was the longest ever, with the largest prize pool in CSGO Esports history.
The timing could not be any better or worse for teams. Every professional team felt they needed to win at least one tournament. Team Vitality won one at Intel Extreme Masters Winters XVI. But, that was the only LAN NaVi have not visited.
BLAST Premier World Finals repeated the same story. Though the run was not clean, it was enough to decimate everyone. Gambit, the online Gods, fell short again in a LAN against NaVi. Though, the fight was bitter.
#CSGO has a problem.
And it’s not the cheaters in matchmaking, or the abysmal tick rate.
Watch: https://t.co/AqZ6r8S93t pic.twitter.com/uWHndqSLx5
— theScore esports (@theScoreesports) February 21, 2019
Team Vitality was the first one to let go. Followed by the NA teams, Astralis and then West Europe. Hence, every other team feels the pressure.
The real reason is Finance. At the moment, Teams have been bleeding money since 2020 due to Pandemic Norms. And with S1mple1 and NaVi’s dominance, the problems are not ending soon.
The era of King S1mple and multiple CSGO major dreams continues.
Also read: CSGO Esports Update: BLAST Premier Spring Groups announced.
