Natus Vincere eliminated from The International Dota 2 Championships

It was hard to believe Natus Vincere could make it out of the lower bracket in the main event of TI:5, but many wanted to believe. The boisterous cheers echoing through KeyArena were a testament to that. Ultimately, Na’Vi fell to Vici Gaming in a best-of-one game that will end their quest for the shield in 2015.

Na’vi’s biggest problem was their draft. It was a balanced and well-rounded selection of heroes until their final pick, when a surprise Io was chosen for soNNeikO. To his credit, he was one of Na’Vi’s best players in the game, but the problem with the Io selection was a lack of synergy with the team as a whole. For much of the game he was attached to Dendi’s hip on Lina, which felt like a missed opportunity to add a more impactful hero -- or at least greater synergy with a different carry.

That said, there were plenty of moments where the game felt like it was Na’Vi’s to lose. While they were consistently behind in farm and towers, there were numerous big fights that went their way. Every time it felt like they were close to getting the upper hand, the door would be slammed in their face. Those brief moments of hope were a testament to just how good they are, and how disappointing it is for fans that we had to lose one of these talented teams this early in the competition.

Na’Vi will have some soul searching to do. This year was supposed to be their return to form after a disappointing campaign in TI:4, but this is far from how they imagined this year’s tournament to go. The forever-confident Ukrainian team had a lot more self-belief than even the most stalwart fans did, where an early exit was almost expected.

The future of the team remains a major question, and the next few months will be fascinating for the future of Na’Vi.