Na’Vi Reforms Anew; Funn1k and ArtStyle Return
CHANGES. A brief timeline of Na’Vi’s roster changes. (Photo grabbed from Wykrhm Reddy’s Facebook page)
Ukrainian team Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) announced on Monday, April 6 (GMT+8; Philippine Standard Time), the return of former players to round out their team.
Ukrainian players Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov and Ivan “ArtStyle” Antonov, who used to play for Na’Vi, are back on the squad after extended hiatuses.
“It is important to note that both players have already represented our organization. Many of you know these names very well. Moreover, each of the players used to participate in the ‘”star squad” and put much effort for the achievement of the results of the time,” said Na’Vi in a statement on their website.
Funn1k said in his social media account that he is “motivated” now that he has returned to his former team.
“Comeback is realboyz, motivation is here #lets fuckindoit,” Funn1k said on Twitter.
Funn1k will play the offlane position once again, while ArtStyle will take the support role for the team. ArtStyle also returns as the team’s captain.
Funn1k used to play as the offlaner for Na’Vi until he left the team last February 13 of this year.
Meanwhile, ArtStyle was the former captain of the Ukrainian “star squad” when they won the inaugural The International — the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the world hosted by the game’s publisher Valve — and took home $1 million. However, ArtStyle departed the team right after their one-million-dollar victory.
Sonneiko steps up, Vanskor to the side
Russian support player Akbar “sonneiko” Butaev is now officially part of Na’Vi after passing the “probation period.”
“We want to announce that Akbar “sonneiko” Butaev has passed the probation period and thus becomes the full-fledged member player of the team. We officially welcome Akbar in our eSports family and we believe that the team will be able to achieve its goals with his help,” said Na’Vi in the same statement.
With this change, Na’Vi’s Russian player, Ivan “Vanskor” Skorohod will be the “sixth player” for the team. Na’Vi noted that the status of Vanskor as a reserve player will help in “restoring his health.” However, the Ukrainian squad didn’t give further details on the current health status of Vanskor.
With just a month before the direct invitations for TI5 go out, Na’Vi expressed their determination to be back on track as one of the most celebrated teams in Dota 2.
“It is obvious that the new squad has very difficult tasks to fulfill. Each of its members will have to work hard and do the best he can both in game and in personal aspect,” said Na’Vi.
“The new squad will gather in [Kiev] for boot camp this week. The players will start training hard and preparing [for] the qualifiers of the next grand tournament. Surely, we will communicate with new players and try to answer many questions that emerged recently,” Na’Vi added.
Na’Vi’s recent performances have been lackluster having only a 33% win rate last month. They placed fourth at the Major All Stars (MAS) last March after falling short against Swedish team Ninjas In Pyjamas (NiP).
Photo banner grabbed from Na’Vi’s website.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
