“Mirage won’t save them anymore” – Kane’s harsh verdict on NAVI

Former NAVI coach Mykhailo ” Kane ” Blakhin shared his thoughts after NAVI finished 9th-12th at IEM Krakow 2026. The team defeated PARIVISION but lost to Spirit and FURIA , ending their run outside the playoffs.

Kane noted that the result wasn’t a surprise. In his opinion, NAVI is clearly lagging behind the current top-5 teams in the world. Considering that the tournament only had six playoff spots, avoiding a meeting with elite opponents was almost impossible.

Problems in games under pressure and the card pool

Kane pointed out that one of the main problems is that NAVI handles pressure poorly. After losing a tense match against Spirit on Mirage, the team completely fell apart on Dust2. This match, according to Kane, destroyed any realistic hopes of going deep in the tournament.

He also highlighted serious issues with the map pool. NAVI failed to win a single map with their own picks. Mirage remains overused, while Nuke and Dust2 are still weak spots. Anubis was intended as a surprise pick, but immediately failed. Inferno showed some progress, especially against FURIA, but it wasn’t enough.

What should NAVI change next?

Kane believes the focus needs to change quickly. Mirage should no longer be the primary map. NAVI needs to invest significantly more time into Nuke, Anubis, and Dust2. Winning tournaments may be unrealistic right now, but making the playoffs should be the minimum goal.

He also warned that if NAVI continues to miss the playoffs, roster changes will be inevitable. No player should be immune, and decisions must be made calmly, without regard for past achievements or big names.