CS:GO: NaVi Rumored to Sign Perfecto
| Tags: CS2
| Author Caroline Rutledge
Natus Vincere is rumored to be targeting Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy to replace Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács on their active CS:GO roster, according to a report from 1pv. The 20-year-old rifler currently represents Syman Gaming. GuardiaN re-signed with NaVi in September of last year after a two-year stint with FaZe Clan.
Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács has played under the Natus Vincere banner for the majority of his career, having originally signed with the organization in 2013. GuardiaN aided NaVi in play-off appearances at eight CS:GO Majors, reaching the Grand Final of both DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 and MLG Columbus 2016. He won nine LAN tournaments with the team, including ESWC 2015 and ESL One New York 2016. The legendary AWPer transferred to FaZe Clan in 2017, reaching another Major Grand Final and winning eight more LANs with the new squad. GuardiaN returned to NaVi in September of 2019, the team placing third at both DreamHack Masters Malmö and the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals since his re-signing.
Another Change for NaVi
Rumors of NaVi’s plans to replace GuardiaN began to surface earlier this month. The AWPer has been the main target for criticism of NaVi’s recent performances, as he holds the lowest rating of his team at recent events. NaVi had sought out 19-year-old ForZe talent Evgeniy “FL1T” Lebedev, though that move fell through. They now reportedly target Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy to complete the roster.
Perfecto has played with Syman Gaming since late 2018. Recent results for Syman include a 1-6th placing in the WePlay! Forge of Masters Season 2 online season and a victory at NEST Pro Series 2019. The team qualified for the Challengers Stage of the StarLadder Berlin Major, where they were eliminated in 17-19th place.
It is currently unclear where GuardiaN would play next, should this move go through. This transfer has not yet been confirmed by any organization.
Caroline is an esports journalist focusing on CS:GO. Starting out as a casual CS:GO fan, her interest quickly turned into a passion as she spent years studying the game. She has put that knowledge to use as a journalist, now writing about professional CS:GO for multiple websites including TheGamer.