NAVI has announced the removal of Andrey ‘Shao’ Kiprsky from its Valorant roster following an unsuccessful first split of the year that saw the roster crash out of EMEA Kickoff after three losses in a row, before going 0-2 at EMEA Clash.
The player, who had been in NAVI since 2022, shared on X that he is looking for a new team following the decision. Shao stated on X, “I want to thank Navi and all my teammates with whom I had the chance to play! I was allowed to explore other opportunities.”
How Shao’s time as NAVI IGL went south
Following Kyrylo ‘ANGE1’ Karasov’s retirement from playing in September, Shao took over as in-game leader, acting as the veteran element of the NAVI roster as it entered EMEA Kickoff 2026.
With the return of ANGE1 in the coaching role in December, Shao seemed to be a perfect fit for the project due to his time playing alongside ANGE1, allowing the team to have continuity despite ANGE1’s move away from pro play.
The first signs for the roster were promising as NAVI secured wins against Karmine Corp and Team Heretics to start their split; however, the roster’s first loss against Gentle Mates started a losing streak that saw them miss out on Valorant Masters Santiago.
Despite being only a series win away from the Upper Final, NAVI fell out of EMEA Kickoff without another win, losing to Fnatics and Heretics in a rematch as their form faltered.
Having missed out on Santiago, the roster found themselves at EMEA Clash, where they lost to ULF and UCAM, eliminating them from the Tier 1/Tier 2 hybrid tournament after Herman ‘Kolosha’ Skrypka stood in for Uğur ‘Ruxic’ Güç due to health issues.
Overall, Shao’s leadership fell short of expectations, with NAVI having two of the best players in EMEA in Emirhan ‘hiro’ Kat and Ruxic as a potential basis for success.
The pair’s almost telepathic understanding in the game remains a strength of the roster, but they are once again looking for the right pieces to build around them.
Sheep Esports has reported that Caide ‘chloric’ Heaton from NRG Academy is set to replace Shao in the roster, also claiming that Abdullah ‘ExiT’ Al-Twaijri will replace Volkan ‘sociablEE’ Yönal, who only joined NAVI in December.
NAVI will next play on April 3 when they will face Team Heretics for the third time this year in their EMEA Stage 1 opener.
Are the moves right for NAVI? You can discuss that on Insider Gaming’s Discord server!
For more Valorant news, see how Nongshim RedForce claimed the Valorant Masters Santiago title.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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