Potential roster changes at Natus Vincere and s1mple’s future—highlights from the latest Counter-Points podcast
Analyst Jakob “Pimp” Winneke appeared on the latest episode of the Counter-Points podcast. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights in our article.
On potential roster changes at Natus Vincere and expectations for other teams
According to Pimp, Natus Vincere performed better than he expected in early 2026, but the team is unlikely to continue playing at that level. One reason is that NAVI’s roster hasn’t changed, and the current players have been together for quite some time. Winneke noted that this is causing them to lose motivation.
At the same time, the analyst is confident that Natus Vincere will not be able to consistently beat Team Vitality or pose a threat at the Major.
As for other teams, Pimp believes that Team Spirit will get stronger, while Team Falcons and Team Vitality will remain at a high level.
On Team Falcons’ roster, the team’s potential, and karrigan’s individual form
Vinneche did not expect Team Falcons to be able to beat Team Vitality at the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Furthermore, according to him, Finn “karrigan” Andersen fully understands that the “Falcons” are his last Tier 1 team.
Pimp noted that he doesn’t believe Team Falcons will be able to consistently beat Team Vitality, particularly because karrigan’s individual form is too poor.
The analyst stated that there is a certain threshold below which a player should not allow himself to fall in terms of individual skill.
On jL, Team Vitality, and s1mple
Pimp expressed hope that Justinas “jL” Lekavičius would return to competitive play in the future. According to Vinnech, the esports player is better suited to that than working as an analyst. In addition, Jacob praised the rifler for his performance as a stand-in for MOUZ.
Jacob also said that Team Vitality made a mistake by focusing on the Grand Slam and then agreeing to participate in the IEM Cologne Major 2026, as the team needs a break.
The analyst also reflected on Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev’s future at BC.Game Esports, stating that the rest of the roster and the coach need to work to restore the sniper’s self-confidence.
Read also:
- Pimp on Natus Vincere’s CS2 roster: “If they don’t change their roster, their results will plummet” (first part of the podcast).
- Pimp on Team Falcons’ CS2 roster: “It won’t be strong enough to dominate” (second part of the podcast).
- Pimp: “I’d love to see jL back on the server” (third part of the podcast).
Earlier, Jacob “Pimp” Winneke stated that despite Team Falcons’ victory at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, the team still has a lot to prove. Specifically, the analyst expects the team to secure more wins by the end of this year.
Photo by Adela Sznajder, ESL.
