Natus Vincere player Justinas "jL" Lekavicius stated that the team is using BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024 as a warm-up for IEM Cologne 2024 in CS2. In an interview during the tournament's broadcast in Denmark, he highlighted that the roster continues to work on its mistakes despite the official matches.
"It’s not that we’re taking this tournament lightly; it’s just that the team is focused on IEM Cologne 2024. Here, we’re working on our mistakes, evaluating new elements in our playstyle, and preparing for Cologne. Sorry, BLAST, but IEM Cologne 2024 is a much more important tournament where we can win a trophy. So yes, we’re working on our game, team chemistry, and tactics."
Lekavicius also mentioned that NAVI continues to actively work on their game even after winning the Esports World Cup 2024.
"We had two days off [after Esports World Cup 2024], and the rest of the time we’ve been training at the bootcamp. We’ve been working ten hours a day, even after arriving [at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024]. The team has put in serious effort. We remember how difficult it was to play after a major, and now we understand what went wrong and what can happen after winning a tournament. We’re trying to avoid that. The team is striving to give its best in every game and not forget about new goals—right now, that’s winning IEM Cologne 2024."
Natus Vincere began their campaign at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024 with a victory over BIG in the group stage. In the next round, jL’s team will face the winner of the Virtus.pro vs. Team Liquid match.