Marta J. September 2, 2019
Natus Vincere is allegedly looking for a replacement for their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive captain, veteran player Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko.
According to an article published by Dexerto and multiple sources that are known to reporter Jarek "DeKay" Lewis, Na’Vi is scouting for a player that will replace Zeus after the conclusion of the StarLadder Berlin Major and BLAST Pro Series: Moscow 2019 later this month.
Although there is no official confirmation of DeKay’s claims, the rumors do have some supporting evidence behind them, as Zeus had earlier shared with HLTV at the end of last year that he might retire from professional CSGO during 2019.
"As it stands, in 2019 I plan to end my career as a player, more likely towards the end of the year, maybe the middle, I'm not sure yet," Zeus said.
Zeus has been active in the CSGO scene since 2002. He played for Na’Vi on multiple occasions and has, in his current run with the team, been a part of its active roster for two years. Since he last joined, he helped the team take trophies at ESL One Cologne 2018, BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2018, and StarSeries & i-League CSGO Season 7.
Even though Na’Vi is possibly keeping its eyes on a new player, the CSGO team has a StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 run still to finish. They have made it to the New Champions Stage where they are set to face off with NRG Esports in the major’s quarterfinals round on September 6.
While some fans have reacted to the rumors by saying that Na’Vi could have at least waited for the major to finish before they started looking for Zeus’ replacement, the major is one of the most prestigious CSGO tournaments of the year and as such could be an ideal place for scouting talent.
Who Na’Vi is looking to sign remains unknown as neither the organization nor Zeus have so far commented on these rumors.