Mike S. May 28, 2019
The Natus Vincere CS:GO team looks set to make a roster change as HLTV reports that Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov will join the team, replacing Ioann "Edward" Sukhariev.
Talks between Na`Vi and Winstrike Team are reportedly at an advanced stage, with a deal expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
Boombl4 is best known as the star player and in-game leader of Winstrike Team, formerly known as Quantum Bellator Fire. The team achieved international recognition by advancing to the top eight at the ELEAGUE Major in 2018. The 20-year-old has often been talked about as a future star of the CIS regional scene, and now seems to be getting his chance at the next level if the reports turn out to be true.
Edward on the other hand is currently the longest serving member of the Na`Vi team. Having initially joined the organisation way back in 2009, he left the team briefly in 2013 for a few months but returned quickly and has been on the roster ever since. He has been the backbone of multiple successful iterations of Na`Vi over the years, and if he does leave the organization it would certainly signal the start of a new era.
The move, if it happens, is coming after Na`Vi failed to make the live finals for ESL Pro League Season 9. For a team like Na`Vi that expects to at least be making the top four in events such as the Pro League, missing out on the final entirely is seen as a significant failure.
Despite placing second at the FACEIT Major last year, top four at the IEM Katowice Major earlier this year, and winning StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7, Na`Vi has not been putting up consistent results in recent months. The team is still ranked as the fourth-best side in the world by HLTV, but has aspirations of one day knocking Astralis from the top spot.