Natus Vincere has completed its CS:GO lineup by acquiring Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács from FaZe Clan, the Ukrainian organization announced today.
With this move, GuardiaN returns to Na’Vi after spending the last two years with FaZe. He was one of the best players in the world during his time with Na’Vi and helped them win big tournaments like IEM San José in November 2015 and ESL One New York in October 2016, along with second-place finishes at two CS:GO Majors.
During his tenure with FaZe, GuardiaN won other major tournaments, such as ESL One New York in September 2017, the ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier in October 2017, and the ECS season four finals in December 2017, among other several titles.
He’ll be filling the spot that was left open by Na’Vi’s former captain and legend Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko, who retired after BLAST Pro Series Moscow last week. Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov will become the team’s captain. He has experience with the role from his previous team, Winstrike.
GuardiaN’s return will also directly influence Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s game since the Slovakian will be Na’Vi’s primary AWPer. That will make s1mple transition into a more hybrid role, picking the sniper from time to time.
Additionally, Na’Vi revealed that ex-professional player Andriy “B1ad3” Gorodenskyi will be the team’s new coach. B1ad3 retired in 2018 and was previously an esports director at Na’Vi.
Curiously, the organization said that s1mple will be responsible for “discipline and team atmosphere,” which are characteristics that are usually handled by a coach or manager.
GuardiaN will make his on-stage return to Na’Vi in less than two weeks at DreamHack Masters Malmö, which starts on Oct. 1.
