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NAVI called up their academy prospect to the main team,?? ?? ?? but are yet to reveal whom the new member will be replacing.

Natus Vincere have announced the promotion of 18-year-old academy prospect Drin "?makazze?" Shaqiri to the main squad.

The Ukrainian organization has also confirmed reports that it is seeking a buyer for the rest of the NAVI Junior lineup, which includes Dmytro "?dem0n?" Myroshnychenko, Aulon "?Krabeni?" Fazlija, Nikita "?cmtry?" Samolyotov, D?iugas "?dziugss?" Steponavi?ius and coach András "?coolio?" Fercsák.

makazze's promotion comes as no surprise at a time when Natus Vincere have made it no secret that they were considering changes following a dip in form, which saw the 2024 Team of the Year fail to reach a single grand final in the first season of 2025.

Many have called for makazze's promotion after he has become NAVI Junior's hottest prospect in his two years with the team, averaging a 1.19 rating in the last 12 months to help NAVI Junior climb to a top-30 placing on Valve's Regional Standings.

But it wasn't clear whom the team would replace, even to Andrey "?B1ad3?" Gorodenskiy, who admitted following NAVI's quarter-final elimination at the BLAST.tv Austin Major that the decision around the roster would be difficult, because no one individual player could be blamed for the dip.

"We all play good at some point, and we all make mistakes at some point, so we're all kind of equal," the coach said. "Even if we remove somebody, it won't be something like, 'This guy sucks and he let us down.'"

Read more B1ad3: "Even if we remove somebody, it won't be because he let us down"

And Natus Vincere still have yet to reveal who will be removed from the main roster. makazze's hyper-aggressiveness (89 Opening score, 87 Entrying score) will require more than just a plug-and-play solution in a squad that divides opening and entrying duties, but he shares most of his positions with Mihai "?iM?" Ivan, especially on the T side, where both are the main space-takers.

In explaining the reason behind the sale of the NAVI Junior squad, the organization said the following: "The limitations of the CS ecosystem do not allow the academy team to further develop under the NAVI tag," the statement reads.

The organization also shared that it would start recruitment for the next junior roster soon.