For all the talk about Nigma Galaxy and how there was going to be tougher competition for them to overcome in the 2023 ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals, by the end of the event, they remained on top of women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, defeating NAVI Javelins 2-0 in the grand finals to capture their third straight league title.
Looking at the other side of the story, NAVI Javelins, despite falling once again to Nigma in another Impact grand finals, did so with a slightly different team compared to the roster who competed in Katowice 2023. In March, they brought in Martyna “LETi” Owsik to replace Danuta ‘Danuu’ Grajkowska ahead of Season 3 divisional play. Even so, NAVI continued dominating both domestically and internationally as a 9-0 run sent them to the grand finals.
Although NAVI ultimately lost the finals to Nigma, through their performance in Texas, they upheld their place as the number one contender for Nigma’s crown.
Following the Season 3 grand finals, BLIX talked to NAVI Javelins’ LETi about what happened with their performance against Nigma Galaxy as well as her integration with the team since joining a few months ago, how it has been for her as the IGL in the tournament, her general experience in Dallas and more.
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Experience in Dallas for the Season 3 Finals
Pedro Romero, BLIX: Commiserations on that grand finals against Nigma Galaxy. Given how the team started out from the start of this past season to now, what’s going through your mind?
Martyna “LETi” Owsik: We really wanted to win, but unfortunately, we didn’t make it. We gotta still practice and believe that one day we are going to beat them.
BLIX: Looking into that series, this team is a familiar foe given their current place in Europe and the rest of the world. What were the things that you and the team were focusing on when it came to strategizing against Nigma?
LETi: I mean, we’re always playing our game. We have always analyzed the team and their maps, but we were mostly playing our game. We didn’t fully change our game against one team.
BLIX: Stepping away from that series and looking at your experience in Dallas, this is the first time you appeared in a LAN with this NAVI Javelins team. How did you take in this experience in an overall sense?
LETi: This is the first time I’ve been in a tournament with this team, and it’s my first time being in Dallas also. I’m so happy that I was here and spent a lot of good time taking second place, so it’s really good.
BLIX: Speaking in a personal sense, how do you feel about being here in Dallas, Texas, and the United States overall and not just being in the tournament?
LETi: From the beginning that we knew we were going to be in Dallas, all [throughout] the training, it was “hey guys, you know we’re going to freaking Dallas” and we were so happy and excited not only for the tournament but also about the US. We are so happy that we made it, and we hope that we can come back here once more.
Integrating with the rest of NAVI Javelins
BLIX: Of course, you’re the team’s newest member that came in March and before the start of Season 3. How have you been integrated into the team from when you joined NAVI until now?
LETi: It changed a lot. The last match was really, really bad for me. I did nothing [in terms of] impact, but I believe we’re going to talk about that, and we’re going to make some changes, and we’re going to get better. I mean, I’m the IGL right now, so there are a lot of things in my head, but I need to shoot more.
BLIX: I believe vicu was the IGL before; when was that change made?
LETi: She was the IGL, but she became the AWPer and a really good AWPer, so we made the change because we wanted her to shine more, have her focus on her own game, and provide a lot of impact because this is what she’s supposed to do.
BLIX: So you have been IGLing throughout this entire tournament?
LETi: Yeah, that’s true.
BLIX: What have been the biggest positives and challenges you’ve seen from your IGLing?
LETi: It’s been really good because if somebody likes to control situations, then it’s a really good thing for the person, and I’m that kind of person who really needs everything to be under control. I think that’s the positive. But as for negatives, you have to think about everything in one second. Sometimes, you need to make a call and make a decision for the full team, and if you lose, then it’s like, “oh sh*t, that was your call, and you lost a round because of that.” There’s a lot of stress and pressure, but I believe that someday the other teams are going to have more pressure than us.
BLIX: Is this your first time IGLing in your career?
LETi: No. Always in a [given] team, I was the IGL, so it’s nothing new, but it is new right now since I don’t have really good experience in LAN tournaments. That’s why the pressure ate me.
Looking ahead to the future
BLIX: Of course, this team is going to come back to try to land a bigger punch on Nigma, who maintains themselves at the top level, but for you, how are you going to take this experience in Dallas for next season?
LETi: It’s always good to play another tournament when you know what it looks like, so for me, it’s going to be easier to get used to it and play with the crowd and the cameras everywhere. I believe that’s going to help a lot in the next tournament.
Wiktoria “vicu” Janicka and Hania ‘Hanka’ Pudlis of NAVI Javelins walking on stage during the Season 3 Finals (Image Credits: ESL)BLIX: There’s been talk about what the gap is like between Nigma and the rest of the other teams in the scene. Even though you guys lost in the finals against them that same time, what is that gap like now?
LETi: We are just playing a lot and practicing a lot. We are practicing against really good teams, such as male teams from ESEA Advanced. We are learning from them. We just really like to take it step-by-step and learn and learn and learn. Playing against better teams helps us win a lot against the female teams.
BLIX: I talked to other players in this event, and they mentioned how it’s easier for female teams in the EU region to find scrim partners than it is for other regions like NA. It speaks to the openness EU has in having teams be willing to scrim with female teams. What makes it possible for EU women’s CS to be such an open practice environment?
LETi: I don’t know much about the NA and SA scene, but in the EU, it’s a lot of tournaments and small LANs where, for example, teams are scrimming and hyping each other. I was going to these kinds of LANs and was watching how they were reacting, and for us, when we are scrimming and hyping each other, it helps us a lot to boost our confidence and motivation. I don’t know if I answered your question, but for us, this is a normal thing, and everyone here in Poland does it.
