Natus Vincere

ADVERTISING:

Major Achievements:

History:

Na'Vi on their march to the DreamHack Summer final...

Roster:

Puppey

XBOCT

Dendi

LightOfHeaven

ARS-ART

Chances at The International:

1st - The International, Gamescom, Cologne (August 2011) - $1,000,0001st - Electronic Sports World Cup, Paris (October 2011) - $12,0002nd - Star Championship, Kiev (December 2011)- $5,0001st - The Defense (March 2012) - 6,000€1st - The Premier League, Season One (March 2012) - $5,0001st - SLTV Star Series, Season One, Kiev (April 2012) - $6,0002nd - Dreamhack Summer (June 2012) - 5,400€1st - The Premier League, Season Two (July 2012) - $5,0001st - SLTV Star Series, Season Two, Kiev (July 2012) - $6,000The history of the almost all-conquering Eastern European juggernaut can be traced all the way back to 2010, when the original all Ukrainian roster - featuring the likes of Mag~, Deff-, GO[blin], Axypa, and the blossoming talents of XBOCT - made their first mark in competitive DotA as they finished in third place at the ASUS Open Winter. The team that won that tournament was DTS, who featured none other than ArtStyle and Dendi.At the end of the year, those two would leave DTS for the apparently brighter lights of Na'Vi, at the expense of Mag~ and Deff-, who departed the team. Further success was instant, as under the leadership of the enigmatic ArtStyle and with the inclusion of Dendi's precocious talents, Na'Vi achieved a string of top three finishes in various competitions in the first half of 2011.However, the organisation's appetite for more success was insatiable, and it was GO[blin] and Axypa who were culled from the roster in June 2011. Signed as their replacements came two formidable and legendary players. One of them was Puppey: captain of Team GosuGamers (GGnet), who until then had been contesting dominance of the online European DotA scene with their main rivals, Meet Your Makers. The other was a stalwart of Russian DotA scene: LightOfHeaven, whose transfer from Moscow Five cost Na'Vi a reported $2,000 fee.The rest, as they say, is history... But we'll outline it here for you: even more success followed for this new-look powerhouse, most notably at The International, at Gamescom, Cologne in August 2011. Valve of course debuted Dota 2 there, and Na'Vi of course romped to victory in the game's inaugural tournament; destroying everyone who blocked their path to the million dollar prize, with the only bump in the road proving to be a single loss to EHOME in the first game of the best-of-five Grand Final.Shortly after their greatest success, ArtStyle left the team for his own reasons, but the Na'Vi juggernaut rolled on despite the loss of their captain. Puppey stepped up to take the leader's mantle, and as the European scene made its shift to competitive Dota 2, ARS-ART was drafted in as the fifth and final piece of the jigsaw. Further online and offline championships followed in almost everything they competed in, with the only notable defeats they suffered being to The Retry (led by PGG) in the finals of the Star Championship, to mTw in both the finals of DreamHack Summer, and the Premier League Masters mini tournament, and the recent shock loss to the rapidly rising stars POTM Bottom, in the lower brackets of the second edition of The Defense.(Captain; a.k.a. PIOS)The famed mastermind captain, and rightly so. While ArtStyle will be credited for guiding Na'Vi to The International crown in August 2011, every achievement afterwards can be attributed (in part!) to Puppey's leadership. Having played and/or lead in teams for years, such as Kingsurf International, Nirvana International and Team GosuGamers, Puppey brings vast knowledge and experience of the game to team. Usually seen playing in the support and ganker roles, and lauded (and feared) for his masterfuly adept Chen, you might think it would be easy to say what his signature heroes are, but don't be fooled – this is the innovator who came up with the jungle Shadow Demon and Storm.The only remaining member of the original all-Ukrainian Na'Vi roster of way back, XBOCT plays the hard carry role for the team, and is widely known for his insanely proficient ability to farm. Last-hitting those creeps like there's no tomorrow and finding a way to make gold where lesser players just can't, XBOCT often snowballs out of all control in the later stages of games, with signature heroes such as Antimage, Riki and Mirana. However, like everyone else on the team, he XBOCT is capable of mixing it up and adapting if the strategy calls for it, and has been seen playing initiators such as Sand King.The first breakout superstar of the Dota 2 era, friendly Dendi has won himself a legion of loyal and dedicated fans through not only his humble and happy demeanour, but of course with his outrageous talents and audacious plays too. Feared by anyone and everyone he faces, Dendi is known for making the solo middle lane and ganking roles his own, with a very wide range of heroes, and an ability to make plays and escapes that seemingly no one else can. Perhaps most frightening for his Windrunner (which differs somewhat in style to the also frightening Windrunner of his teammate, LightOfHeaven) and Invoker (for who he championed the benefits of the Exort-based build before it became widely accepted), but also very, very popular for his play with Pudge.(a.k.a. LOST)A man who is the definition of consistency, Light just never seems to have a bad game. Always solid, often spectacular, he can often be seen playing in the side lane solo role for Na'Vi; this, despite his history as an accomplished hard carry for his previous teams, such as Virtus.Pro. Indeed, so experienced and reliable is Light that he can be trusted to take the solo lane with almost anything, though common heroes in his repertoire include Windrunner, Tidehunter, Broodmother, and Nature's Prophet.(a.k.a. Smile)After parting ways with the old Moscow Five team after the conclusion of The International, ARS-ART dropped off the radar for a brief while, before answering Na'Vi's call. Playing initially as a stand-in – most notably at ESWC 2011, where they were victorious – ARS-ART quickly developed an understanding with the others, and it wasn't long before he was invited to join the team permanently. ARS-ART is usually seen playing the primary support role with distinction, but such is Na'Vi's aggressive style and penchant for getting early towers that even he often finds the space to get some farm; indeed, seeing his Crystal Maiden with a Vanguard or Sange isn't as rare a sight as you might think.Very high. Na'Vi will go to The International as the defending champions and as one of the favourites to take the million (again), but by no means will it be easy. By their own admission in interviews, they know the competition will be fierce, as evidenced by the humility both Puppey and Dendi displayed when claiming that “anyone” could potentially beat them at DreamHack Summer, and the graciousness the team displayed upon their eventual defeat to mTw in that tournament's final. Since then, they have been accused from some quarters of being out-of-shape recently and of not taking their competition seriously enough. Whether or not any of that is true is up for debate, but one thing is for certain: Na'Vi will be a force to be reckoned with in Seattle.