Natus Vincere had to make a roster selection after utilizing both stand-in Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev and NAVI Junior's player Andrii "npl" Kukharskyi in the BLAST Premier World Final, the last tournament of 2022. Instead of signing the experienced sdy on a permanent basis, the Ukrainian organization decided to keep him in the league until 2023.
According to NAVI's coach Andrey "B1ad3" Gorodenskiy, the reason for his departure was sdy's dismal performances throughout his time with the organization.
In an interview with Ukrainian outlet Players, Sdy decided to keep a longer contract. “He might improve, but his game skills and style fit our style. He would have had a chance if he had played exceptionally well. Of course, we would have kept him.”
NPL can still develop and become a much better player, according to B1ad3. After Valeriy "b1t" Vakhovskiy was awarded the same opportunity in 2021, he became one of the world's best CS:GO riflers.
NAVI qualified for the BLAST Premier Spring Final after the Spring Groups and most notably reached the semifinals of IEM Katowice last weekend, according to HLTV, which shows that he's still learning the ropes.
CIS team were drawn in group D alongside Team Liquid, Team Spirit, ENCE, Astralis, Rare Atom, and forZe.