The need for roster changes at Natus Vincere and 9z Team’s results—highlights from the latest Hot Take Point Made podcast

Analysts Duncan “Thorin” Shields, Alexander “kassad” Trifunovic, and Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg discuss the latest in the new episode of the Hot Take Point Made podcast. Here’s a quick rundown of the key points in our article.

Mauisnake was impressed by Team Falcons’ performance at the IEM Cologne Major 2026. He noted that karrigan managed to lead the “Falcons” to victory despite their internal issues and his own difficulties with FaZe Clan. The Dane gave the Falcons players not only new strategies but also self-confidence. According to kassad, the only captain on the pro scene capable of leading a team to such a strong result is Aleksib.

Ellenberg believes that Gizmy is a strong in-game leader who can revitalize the careers of rain and device at 100 Thieves, as well as lead the team into the top 25 of the world rankings. kassad agreed with his colleague and explained that he had wanted to sign the British player for BLEED Esports in 2024, but Monte declined the deal and later brought the captain into its main roster.

Thorin believes that 100 Thieves will become stronger with Gizmy’s arrival. However, the analyst believes that one transfer isn’t enough to reach the highest level. 100 Thieves needs to sign a star rifler and help device regain his former form.

According to kassad, it’s time for Natus Vincere to consider roster changes, as the current lineup’s lifecycle is coming to an end. The analyst believes that management will soon decide to part ways with iM.

Mauisnake noted that NAVI’s recent results were due not to the strength of its players but to luck—the team’s elimination from the IEM Cologne Major 2026 in 9th–11th place only confirmed this. B1ad3 pointed out that when entering a server, you can’t rely solely on a well-prepared plan.

Thorin agreed with Mauisnake and said that the “born to win” team currently lacks the firepower needed to win major tournaments. Although iM serves as the second caller, the journalist would still take a risk and replace him with another player.

Shields doesn’t believe that Senzu left The MongolZ due to burnout. If that were the case, the rifler would now be playing for a team on the level of G2 Esports. Thorin believes that even financial considerations couldn’t have influenced the player’s decision to that extent.

Kassad is confident that The MongolZ will drop out of the top 20 in the world rankings by the end of 2026. According to the analyst, the roster has been unable to recover from the loss of Senzu and now needs to sign a strong player. Otherwise, the Mongolian team risks losing out to TYLOO in the race for the title of Asia’s best team.

According to Mauisnake, Senzu was one of the strongest players of last year. cobrazera performed respectably as a rifler for The MongolZ, but never became a full-fledged replacement for him. Ellberg stated that the team needs a leader capable of single-handedly deciding the outcome of matches.

kassad believes that 9z Team does not need any replacements right now. Recently, the team has achieved significant success on the Tier 1 scene. However, the team may face a crisis due to intense scrutiny from the community and the players’ rising egos. The analyst predicts discord within the 9z CS2 roster and a series of poor decisions by the club’s management.

Mauisnake also sees no need for roster changes at 9z Team. The team members support one another, and fans defend the players, considering criticism directed at them to be unfair. According to Ellenberg, 9z has only just begun to show impressive results, so no roster changes are expected before the end of the year.

Earlier, 9z Team won the XSE Pro League 2026. In the final, the team defeated PARIVISION 3-0 in maps and earned $260,000. Rifler Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibáñez was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Photo by Igor Bezborodov, StarLadder.