Natus Vincere make a roster change — team captain leaves

The esports organization Natus Vincere announced that Bakyt Zayac Emilzhanov has left the team after nearly three years with the club. The organization shared this on its social media pages.

Zayac had been part of the roster since late 2023 and also played for the club’s academy team, NaVi Junior. During this time, his best result was a second-place finish at the recent BLAST Slam VI. The team has been consistently competing on the tier-1 scene, but has not managed to secure a championship. It is worth noting that the player’s best career achievement remains a second-place finish at The International 2022 with Team Secret.

Content creator and former pro player Andrey Ghostik Kadyk shared his thoughts on Zayac’s departure from NAVI:

“What could have led to Zayac’s kick? Of course, he’s significantly older than the other members of the roster, and it seems his second child was born. Now he can’t devote all his time to Dota, which is affecting his game. It’s worth acknowledging that Zayac is playing worse now than when he first joined NAVI. But is that a valid reason to kick him? Believe me, in a top-tier team, there’s always someone weaker, and there’s always someone who’ll be blamed for every loss. I wouldn’t kick him. Kicking an experienced player who helped you reach a new level usually ends badly, but the team knows best.”

Team manager Zhanna radiactivebaby Batkovna also commented on the roster change:

“Bakyt has given a lot to the guys and to NAVI; when he joined, he said he wanted to take NAVI to Tier 1 level. I believe he put in a lot of effort and made it happen. I have great respect for him as a person, as a captain, and as a player. I want to say a big thank you to him for his contribution. Tamir Daze is a good, viable solution for the guys. Time and their hard work will tell the rest. Let’s root for the guys.”

The vacant spot in the roster was filled by Tamir daze Tokpanov, who played for the NaVi academy from 2022 to the end of 2024, where he repeatedly became a champion of tier-2 and tier-3 tournaments.

Tokpanov’s last professional team was Inner Circle, with which he attempted to qualify for major tournaments in early 2026. Unfortunately, the team failed to advance past the closed qualifiers, and he left the roster.

The next tournament for the updated roster will be PGL Wallachia Season 8, which will take place from 16.04.2026 to 26.04.2026 in Bucharest, Romania. Sixteen teams will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool.

Earlier, CyberScore reported that Melchior Seleri Hillenkamp announced his retirement.