Pimp on Natus Vincere’s CS2 roster: “If they don’t change their roster, their results will plummet.”
Analyst Jakob “Pimp” Winneke explained in the latest episode of the Counter-Points podcast why Natus Vincere needs urgent roster changes and shared his expectations for the performances of other Tier 1 teams.
On potential changes to Natus Vincere’s roster
I’d like to start by talking about NAVI, since I agree that they performed better than I expected in the first half of the season. makazze has started to become the kind of player who can continue to develop, and w0nderful has found his footing again. You could say that Natus Vincere had the potential to win the Major. I know we’ve talked a lot about NAVI both this season and last. ...> I think that if they don’t change their roster, their results will drop sharply, but not because this team is bad or has any obvious weaknesses. We’ve already discussed who could be a potential replacement candidate—iM—and a player like frozen would take his place. However, frozen has stated that he’ll remain with FaZe Clan. But I don’t believe that B1ad3 hasn’t given replacement any thought at all over the past 12 months. Perhaps he’s satisfied with how the team is performing right now, but he remains a realist. He’s the kind of person who tries to think one step ahead.
On the reasons for a roster shake-up
I don’t think they’ll win a trophy with this roster if they don’t make changes. Just like FURIA, as I predicted last season. They’ll likely be a competitive, solid team that consistently makes the playoffs. On the other hand, the team could slip so far that it can no longer be called the NAVI of old—the one capable of winning a Major. This isn’t the roster that has the potential to beat Team Vitality or pose a threat at a Major. That’s exactly what will happen if Natus Vincere keeps these five players. You might be wondering why I think that. There’s something that sets a team apart when its players have been together for a long time, and that is a loss of motivation.
On expectations for other teams
I expect Team Spirit to get stronger, and Team Falcons to remain at a high level, just like Team Vitality. At the start of 2026, Natus Vincere was the team everyone had high hopes for. Back then, neither Team Falcons nor Team Spirit were performing as they should have. On the contrary, NAVI was the second-best team in the world, outperforming FURIA, Team Spirit, and Team Falcons. But I don’t think that will continue into the second half of 2026.
Earlier, analyst Jakob “Pimp” Vinneche praised Danny “zonic” Sorensen and stated that, in his opinion, the Team Falcons coach was the main architect of the team’s victory at the IEM Cologne Major 2026.
Photo by Sophie Barrowclough, BLAST.
