Na’Vi crumbled under the pressure to make an early exit in Shanghai.

CS2 squad Natus Vincere entered the Shanghai Major as heavy favorites to defend their crown, but the boys in black and yellow have started the off-season early following a shock 1-2 loss to HEROIC today.

We'll see a new team lift the major trophy next weekend with the reigning champions bundled out of Shanghai after a messy Elimination Stage that included heavy defeats against Spirit and MIBR.

End of an era as major favorites tumble when it matters most

Na'Vi came out of the gates firing last week, starting the Elimination Stage with a victory over Team Liquid who went flawless during the Opening Stage. It wasn't a pretty win against the American squad but it was enough to convince the community — most of which had Na'Vi through to the playoffs without losing — that their PickEm's would be safe.

But everything unraveled on Inferno in the second best-of-one. Surprise packets MIBR put up a stellar T side leading 9-3 at the half. Captain Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen rose to the occasion as his teammates went missing during the comeback, but a standout 24-kill effort from Felipe "insani" Yuji was enough for MIBR to hold on and stun the trophy holders.

From here, the stage was wide open. Things wouldn't improve for Na'Vi after Danil "donk" Kryshkovets' Spirit disintegrated them on Mirage 13-2. Na'Vi rebounded against GamerLegion in elimination, booking a ticket to the 2-2 final round against a HEROIC side hungry to return to the playoffs.

HEROIC returns to the top eight of a major. (Photo via Perfect World)
HEROIC returns to the top eight of a major. (Photo via Perfect World)

The recovery would be for naught. HEROIC torched Na'Vi on Mirage to open the elimination series 13-3, then bounced back from a 13-5 Nuke to claim victory on Ancient behind a 1.58-rated, 23-kill Guy "NertZ" Iluz performance.

Where to from here for Na'Vi?

Even excluding their week in Shanghai, the European squad will still likely walk away as the most successful CS2 team of 2024. Na'Vi took home four titles including the Copenhagen Major, an ESL Pro League, IEM Rio, and the inaugural Esports World Cup.

Outside of victories, Andrij "Blad3" Ghorodensjkyj's men were ever-consistent offline; they ran second at the BLAST Spring and Fall Finals and IEM Cologne, and more often than not qualified for playoffs with ease.

Could a Na'Vi return be on the cards for s1mple? (Photo via PGL & Perfect World)
Could a Na'Vi return be on the cards for s1mple? (Photo via PGL & Perfect World)

However, a woeful performance at the BLAST World Final in Singapore and this week's failings are definite stains on the 2024 season and aren't up to the lofty standards we've come to expect from the team.

Whether Na'Vi looks into roster changes remains to be seen; it's difficult to change a successful squad but with the likes of s1mple waiting on the bench (and not heading to Falcons), we may have seen the last of this edition of the Blad3's squad.

The Shanghai Major playoffs begin December 12. For more CS2 news and coverage, check out esports.gg.