Natus Vincere

Lore & Background

Natus Vincere was founded in 2009. Their Counter-Strike team was formed on 17 December 2009, originally named Arbalet UA, with players Ioann "Edward" Sukharev, Yegor "markeloff" Markelov, Sergey "starix" Ischuk, Arsenij "ceh9" Trinozhenko and Danylo "Zeus" Teslenko. The abbreviation Na'Vi was inspired by the film Avatar. In 2010, Na'Vi won ESWC 2010, Arbalet Cup Dallas, World Cyber Games 2010, and DreamHack Winter 2010, becoming the first team to hold IEM, ESWC, and WCG titles simultaneously.

In 2011, they defended their IEM championship. In 2015, they won IEM San Jose. In 2016, they won DreamHack Leipzig, ESL One: New York, and had several top finishes. In 2017, roster changes occurred including the return of Zeus.

In 2018, they won ESL One Cologne. In 2019, Zeus retired. In 2021, Na'Vi became the 3rd team to complete the Intel Grand Slam after winning IEM Katowice 2020, ESL Pro League Season 14, DreamHack Masters Spring 2021, and IEM Cologne 2021. On 7 November 2021, they won their first CS:GO Major, PGL Stockholm 2021, defeating G2 Esports 2–0. In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Natus Vincere cut ties with their holding company ESForce.

Reader's Guide

The Counter-Strike division has a storied history of major tournament victories. Key achievements include winning ESWC 2010, World Cyber Games 2010, DreamHack Winter 2010, IEM Season X - San Jose, ESL One: New York 2016, ESL One Cologne 2018, and the Intel Grand Slam in 2021 culminating in the PGL Stockholm 2021 Major. The team has undergone several roster changes over the years.

Origins and Organizational Structure

Natus Vincere, translating from Latin as 'born to win,' was established in Kyiv, Ukraine, in late 2009 by Murat Zhumashevich. The organization's inception occurred during the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Dubai, where Zhumashevich pledged financial backing and training facilities while enlisting professional player starix to assemble the initial roster. Officially formed on December 17, 2009, under the temporary name Arbalet UA, the team originally comprised Edward, markeloff, starix, ceh9, and Zeus, managed by ZeroGravity.

The iconic abbreviation Na'Vi was inspired by the film Avatar, with its full designation selected through a fan competition. Today, the organization has expanded far beyond its Counter-Strike roots to field teams in numerous disciplines including Dota 2, VALORANT, League of Legends, and mobile titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Notably, their divisions hold significant status globally, such as being a partnered member of the VCT EMEA for VALORANT and maintaining franchised positions in both the MPL Indonesia and the LEC.

The Historic 2010 Breakthrough

The year 2010 marked a transformative era where Natus Vincere ascended to global dominance. After an initial setback at the Arbalet Cup CIS, the team regrouped to secure second place in Stockholm before claiming victory at ESWC Ukraine. Their crowning achievement came on July 4, when they defeated SK Gaming to win the ESWC World Championship, becoming the first CIS team to reach this pinnacle. This success was followed by a triumph at Arbalet Cup Dallas against Mousesports and a historic World Cyber Games victory over mTw.dk in Los Angeles. By October, Na'Vi held the three most prestigious titles simultaneously: IEM, ESWC, and WCG. Their momentum continued with a DreamHack Winter win in Jönköping, where they outplayed top European squads to claim the title and set a new annual prize money record of $220,000, surpassing previous benchmarks held by Fnatic and SK Gaming.

Individual Excellence and Team Recognition

The 2010 roster did more than stack team trophies — it put a string of Ukrainian names at the very top of HLTV.org's individual rankings. Yegor 'markeloff' Markelov finished the year as the number one player in the world. Sergey 'starix' Ischuk and Ioann 'Edward' Sukharev followed at fourth and fifth in the global list. Captain Daniil 'Zeus' Teslenko landed at 19th and also picked up the best captain of the year nod. At DreamHack Winter 2010, starix took home the MVP after steering the team through a run of commanding playoff wins. That stretch showed what a roster looks like when raw aim meets organized leadership, and it set a standard for Ukrainian CS players that took years to match.