NAVI s1mple is an iconic name that will be etched in fans’ memories forever, but there was a time when the organization had to move on and build a roster without him. Counter-Strike 2 coach Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi explained why.
S1mple is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) and most accomplished CS:GO players of all time, with 21 HLTV MVP awards, a Major, and an Intel Grand Slam trophy, among countless other S-Tier victories under his belt.
Deciding to move on from such an impactful player takes a lot of discussions and future planning. “With s1mple, we played this lineup already. When he left the team, we had a conclusion that it’s hard for these players, who we had, to play with s1mple. There was a lot of pressure on them,” B1ad3 said in an interview on NAVI’s YouTube channel.
S1mple wanted to bring out the best in his teammates, but some of them could not cope with his abilities or creativity. “Some players can play under these conditions, and we even won a lot of tournaments in 2021. We were the best team in the world,” the coach said.
He also spoke about when the team started falling apart after switching to an international lineup. “But eventually, when we switched to an international lineup, we saw that teams or players are not ready for this. They never worked and played before in this environment. So, it’s hard for them to activate all their best parts, like creativity, decision-making, and a lot of things that were hard to do,” B1ad3 said.
That’s when the org decided to move on and build a team without s1mple. “That’s why we thought that it as I said to Sasha (s1mple), I think these players are not meant to play with him. It was hard for them to play with him,” the coach added.
S1mple is now part of the BC.Game Esports CS2 roster, after being a loanee at Team Falcons in 2024 and FaZe Clan in 2025.