Na’Vi CEO Reveals Reasoning Behind Not Having A Youth Team in Dota

Rakshak Kathuria
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  • Na'Vi CEO talked about why they do not want a young squad in Dota 2, like the one they have in CS:GO.
  • He mentioned the lack of Tier 2/3 tournaments and low player transfer costs in Dota 2 as a reason for not opening a young academy.
  • He was very pleased with the results of their new Na'Vi squad stating that the roster exceeded his expectations.

Yevhen Zolotarov, CEO of Natus Vincere, in an AMA session with the Russian portal Cybersport.ru talked about why they would not want to have a young squad in Dota 2. He also mentioned that he was delighted with the performances of their new Na’Vi roster that they recruited in September 2020. 

RELATED:  S1mple Beats Dendi in Both CS:GO and Dota 2 Na’Vi Showmatch


Na’Vi CEO On Why They Would Not Want A Young Dota 2 Academy

Na’Vi's CEO, Zolotarov, explained why the club did not want to venture into a young Dota 2 squad, considering they have one in the form of Na’Vi Junior in CS:GO. He mentioned their desire to work more on their current Dota 2 squad and stated that Dota as an esports title did not require a set of reserves because of the players’ low transfer prices. He also cited the absence of Tier 2/3 tournaments in Dota 2 compared to CS:GO to not invest in a young academy for the MOBA title.

“As for a Dota 2 Young Academy, there is definitely no plan. For the next several seasons, we want to work with the current roster, and we do not see the requirement of a player reserve since, Dota, as practice shows, is more of a game of stacks with low transfer prices for players. So, there is no point in raising individual talents. Also, there is a problem that exists in CS:GO as well that the young team will not be allowed to play in the same tournaments as the main roster. Considering, Dota has lesser Tier 2/3 tournaments than CS; I do not see where the players will get the experience they need.”

Zolotarov also mentioned that they were quite delighted with the new squad’s performances that they hired on a trial phase in September 2020. Recently, they were reportedly signed permanently. He stated that the team exceeded his expectations.

“The guys have exceeded my expectations, and I really hope that they will not stop there.”

Na’Vi CEO Reveals Reasoning Behind Not Having A Youth Team in Dota
Na'Vi's performances improved considerably with the new roster who were recruited just before OGA Dota Pit S3.
Image Via Liquipedia

RELATED:  S1mple Beats Dendi in Both CS:GO and Dota 2 Na’Vi Showmatch

Na’Vi has been one of the most iconic organizations in esports. In Dota 2, they had one of the best rosters ever when the game rose into popularity at the beginning of this decade. However, the Ukrainian club has had a miserable time in the last three years because of their inability to put together a strong roster. Their recruits in the form of Iceberg, V-Tune, GeneRaL, RodjER, and ALWAYSWANNAFLY have been quite impressive. Na’Vi were the runner-ups of ESL One Germany 2020 and managed to come out on top at the OGA Dota Pit S4. 


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As a passionate Dota 2 fan for eight years, Rakshak has indulged himself completely in its esports circuit for the past two years as a professional. In addition to covering major news developments, he takes a keen interest in understanding team strengths and player personalities.