NAVI Captain in CS2 Harshly Assessed The MongolZ's Chances Without a Coach in the Decisive Match
The in-game leader of Natus Vincere, Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen, talked about Counter-Strike 2 in a recent interview — short, direct, and with a few anecdotes slipped in.
Force Majeure with Scheduling
Aleksi opened with a morning snafu: the team's prep plan had shifted the night before, but he missed updating his own calendar. An old alarm dragged him upright, then his mgr. rang to say the whole stack was already downstairs. No time for a graceful start — the NAVI leader literally jumped out of bed to avoid holding everyone up.
A Crucial Derby
When he described the match-up, the tone was practical rather than theatrical. NAVI vs. The MongolZ is familiar turf: the squads meet on LANs often and trade streaks back and forth. VRS ranking points were on the line, so motivation was high on both sides — nothing mystical, just stakes that matter this season.
Test of Strength Without a Coach
Aleksib zeroed in on what he sees as the big problem for the opponents: no coach at the event. For a roster whose cohesion is built both on and off the server, that absence can sting, esp. in tense moments. Still, he didn’t write them off; if the Asian squad adjusted to this force majeure in prep, they could still handle pressure.
The match itself ended plainly: Natus Vincere beat The MongolZ 2:0 and moved into the semifinal.
The day before, scout Aleksey "OverDrive" Biryukov harshly criticized Virtus.pro’s management for putting together what he called an openly weak CS2 roster. He argued the academy promotions were largely a forced response to an empty budget and to top players avoiding play under the organization's tag.