NaVi benches koalanoob after disappointing Stage 1

Natus Vincere has officially announced the benching of Gianfranco "koalanoob" Potestio following their underwhelming performance in VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Stage 1. The decision was revealed in a statement posted to their X account, where the organization confirmed koalanoob’s removal from the active roster and his status as a restricted free agent.

“After Stage 1 results, we have made the difficult decision to move Koalanoob from the starting roster, who is now a restricted free agent & able to explore other options."

This move ends a brief, six-month tenure for koalanoob with NAVI, who acquired him and coach Vincent "Happy" Cervoni from the now-defunct North American team M80 during a major roster rebuild.

A Promising Rebuild That Never Clicked

The signing of koalanoob and Happy was initially seen as a fresh start for NAVI heading into 2025. With a promising mix of European talent and a proven duelist in koalanoob, expectations were cautiously optimistic. On paper, the roster looked capable of turning things around after a middling 2024.

But the results never matched the potential. The team failed to find any meaningful consistency in the server, beginning the year with a last-place finish at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Kickoff. Stage 1 didn’t provide any relief either, as NAVI once again ended with a 5th-6th place finish, identical to their VCT 2024 - EMEA Stage 1 outcome.

The most disappointing result came during the EWC VALORANT - Esports World Cup 2025 - EMEA Qualifier, where NAVI failed to qualify altogether, missing out on a major international event that could have reset their momentum.

Inconsistency in a Key Role

While koalanoob wasn’t the worst performer on the squad, his role as the team’s primary duelist naturally brought more scrutiny. Consistently appearing in the lower half of the scoreboard, his individual impact didn’t live up to expectations for a player expected to take charge in opening duels and provide explosive entry potential.

The EWC qualifiers highlighted these struggles. Koalanoob repeatedly found himself in the bottom half of the score sheet, raising questions about whether his mechanical inconsistency was holding the team back. While the team as a whole lacked cohesion, underwhelming performances in a high-impact role likely played a key part in NAVI's decision to move on.

EWC VALORANT - Esports World Cup 2025 - EMEA Qualifier

FUT Esports

2

X

0

Natus Vincere

Lower Bracket Final, Best of 3 - May 20, 2025 - 4:00PM

15

Pearl

13

13

Ascent

7

FUT Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

ATA KAPTAN

1.34

240

41/30/21

+11

1.37

76.8%

152.8

51%

55%

6

5

qRaxs

1.28

228

39/37/21

+2

1.05

75.7%

138.3

37%

80%

8

2

MrFaliN

1.15

240

36/34/15

+2

1.06

74.6%

157.1

21%

78%

7

2

yetujey

1.10

223

42/28/3

+14

1.50

86.8%

145.3

34%

25%

2

6

xeus

0.87

180

31/36/11

-5

0.86

72.1%

110.8

31%

40%

4

6

Natus Vincere

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

hiro

1.10

224

42/37/12

+5

1.14

69.3%

151.9

28%

44%

4

5

Shao

1.04

224

38/34/11

+4

1.12

72.9%

156.9

27%

43%

3

4

Ruxic

1.03

206

35/39/14

-4

0.90

75.0%

143.9

34%

57%

4

3

koalanoob

0.75

166

24/41/16

-17

0.59

67.9%

115.6

29%

31%

4

9

ANGE1

0.74

160

25/38/13

-13

0.66

67.5%

100.6

27%

50%

6

6

A Chance to Reset

With no appearance at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, NAVI now has time to regroup and explore potential upgrades ahead of Stage 2. The team must use this break to recalibrate both its roster and its in-game approach if it hopes to break out of its pattern of mediocrity.

Koalanoob, for his part, has responded to the news with accountability and determination. In a heartfelt post, he addressed his inconsistent play and promised to come back stronger:

“People can say what they want about me and you have every right to do so. I was very inconsistent and that won’t cut it in T1.”

Koalanoob’s benching marks another chapter in NAVI’s ongoing struggle to find stability and results in VCT EMEA. With time on their side before Stage 2, NAVI has a key opportunity to course-correct, while koalanoob begins his journey to prove he still belongs at the top.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

Featured Image Source: Michal Konkol/Riot Games