Having secured a 2:1 victory over SK, the Ukrainian esports organization NAVI improved their record at the start of the Summer Split to 2-1. Now the team is preparing for another serious test — a match against G2. The team's toplaner, Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin, shared his thoughts on their form, individual development, and key goals for the season.
Commenting on the loss to Karmine Corp at the start of the tournament, Maynter noted that the match unfolded in an unusual scenario: NAVI dominated the early stages, gaining a 6,000 gold advantage, but lost it closer to the end. Despite the disappointment, this experience served as an important lesson. The subsequent victory over Shifters was critically necessary — it boosted motivation and relieved psychological pressure.
Currently, NAVI's main problem is not over-aggression, but rather a lack of confidence in defending their own positions. According to the toplaner, the team sometimes gives up map advantages to opponents too easily, which leads to lost team fights. However, in recent games, the squad has shown progress by putting much more pressure on their opponents.
Maynter was satisfied with his individual performance against strong players like Rooster and Canna. He places them, along with Naak Nako, in the top three most dangerous toplaners in Europe specifically during the laning phase.
Regarding G2's BrokenBlade, Volodymyr emphasized that his main strength lies elsewhere. BrokenBlade outplays opponents through macro control, deep game understanding, and shotcalling. He frequently uses unconventional champions and sacrifices his own lane to create advantages for the team across the map.
Assessing the upcoming match against G2, Maynter called their opponents a highly unstable team:
"You never know with them. Sometimes they play like prime T1, and then they show the complete opposite and seem too tired to play. Right now, it feels like they are somewhere in between — they are quite beatable."
Although the main topic of discussion within the team is qualifying for the World Championship, for Maynter personally, the priority is a deep playoff run. Reaching the semifinals or finals at a LAN tournament will automatically secure the team a slot at Worlds.
MKOI are considered the main competitors for Europe's third ticket. NAVI's toplaner is confident that this team is "quite beatable," although he acknowledges their traditional strength in the best-of-five format during playoffs. Maynter emphasizes that he is focused solely on winning, treating the qualification for Worlds not as a dream, but as a clearly defined goal.
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