Over the last three years, Impact has been dominated by Imperial Valkyries (Formerly Pigeons, Nigma Galaxy). Right behind them, trying to keep up, have been NAVI Javelins. With dominant placing from all the players with their respective nations recently at IESF, now is the perfect time to talk about a team I think has the best opportunity to step out of Imperial’s shadow and claim a LAN trophy for the cabinet.
Formed in 2022, NAVI Javelins latest roster consists of the originally signed core Vicu Angelka and Hanka and the new guns of ASTRA (formerly Let Her Cook) and D7 (Formerly Guild Esports). This edition of the squad came to be in early August of this year to help improve a team that saw itself grouped in Dallas for Impact Season 5 Finals. Since then, they’ve gained a few accolades as a team. Faceit ESEA season 50 saw them make the top 8 in intermediate playoffs to qualify for Main as well as a triumph in the Tradeit League FE Masters #5 with a commanding 3:1 win over Imperial to take the title. This finally leads us to their most recent tournament in Impact Season 6, which saw them qualify for the finals even after a few trials tested them. An internet issue in week two against NIP forced them to forfeit the match and go through the Play-In stage where a loss to Dreamcatchers and a win against Let Her Cook placed as EU number five.
With the Season 6 finals looming, here are some keys to help them take the next step, and things I’ve noticed that worry me:
Keys to success
- The ASTRA renaissance is upon us. This isn’t anything new with an average rating of 1.12 over the last year (combined across 4 teams no less), her steady improvement has culminated in a monstrous 1.27 rating during her tenure with Navi. The biggest factor is how much of a force she’s become on the T-side, where her KPR sits at 0.86 and her ADR matches at 95.3.
- Angelka continues to be a trading powerhouse. Across all competitions, she holds the team’s best record on trades with just over 25% of her kills coming from trading her teammates. While on the other side of the coin, she places herself in a favorable position to be traded 25% of the time.
What I’m worried about
- Their group. In eight team tournaments, seeding matters. The unfortunate reality is that because they placed 5th seed, they not only play in the same group as Imperial, they also face them in the opening match. Couple that with a Fluxo Demons team that plays very well at Impact LANs (the only team to win a BO1 against Imperial as well as constant top 4 placements) and it’ll be an uphill struggle for them to make it out of groups.
- Is D7 ready to play at the level required? Over the last three months, her worst games have come against 3 teams that are featuring in the finals: NIP, Dreamcatchers, and Imperial posting a 0.78 HLTV 2.1 rating against the latter 2. Extend this over the last 12 months and while she improves against her rivals in a Vilga-led NIP, other finals-bound teams still have her number.
Conclusion
With Poland winning IESF, and France and Portugal also reaching a top 3 placement, NAVI looks to have the personnel and the ability to finally take the next step and be the first team to win an Impact final LAN over the Imperial Valkyries core. Strong performances from newly acquired ASTRA as well as Angelka continuing to be a strong trader will be a deciding factor in Stockholm. What might make them stumble? D7’s recent performance against the very teams that will be at this event, as well as where the seeding has placed them: a venerable group of death. All that’s left is to sit back and watch ESL Impact Season 6 Finals, starting November 22nd.
