GuardiaN dropped from Na’Vi starting roster for young new star

Big changes are reportedly about to hit Natus Vincere’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup once again.

According to a report by 1pv, Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovác is set to be removed from the Natus Vincere lineup. Taking his spot is Syman Gaming’s Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy.

Should the news prove true, Na’Vi’s roster will consist of the following players:

• Egor “flamie” Vasilyev
• Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
• Denis “electronic” Sharipov
• Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov
• Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy

Since adding GuardiaN following the StarLadder Berlin Major, Natus Vincere has been wildly inconsistent. The team posted top-four performances in DreamHack Masters Malmo and ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals, but stumbled at Epicenter 2019 and StarSeries Season 8.

This highlighted a clash of styles between GuardiaN and star player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. s1mple has been one of the best CSGO players in the game over recent years, but the addition of GuardiaN forced him to take on more of a standard rifler role instead of using the AWP. Though GuardiaN performed well in his own right, s1mple’s output dropped significantly to the point where it was debatable whether adding him was a good move.

Natus Vincere replaces GuardiaN with Perfecto of Syman Gaming

1pv discussed Na’Vi’s process of replacing GuardiaN and detailed how the organization found its way to Perfecto.

According to the report, Na’Vi’s first choice was Evgeniy “FL1T” Lebedev from ForZe. When the two organizations couldn’t agree to terms, Na’Vi then began to consider Perfecto, Hard Legion’s Igor “Forester” Bezotechesky, and Ivan “kapacho” Koplenko from Natus Vincere Junior. Of those three, Na’Vi ultimately opted to scoop up Perfecto from Syman.

Perfecto isn’t an especially well-known player, but he has been a key figure for Syman. After signing with the organization in 2018, he helped the team become a legitimate contender in the CIS region in 2019. He won a number of smaller tournaments and notably helped the team qualify for the StarLadder Berlin Major. According to 1pv, his buyout clause was worth $200,000.

Na’Vi has not confirmed the news, but the team is now heading into a busy stretch. The CIS side is set to compete in the GG.Bet Ice Challenge, which is followed by the start of the BLAST Premier Spring 2020.