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Natus Vincere ended Aurora Gaming’s run at PGL Wallachia Season 9 with a 2-0 victory in the lower-bracket quarterfinal. The result eliminated Aurora in fifth-sixth place and moved NAVI into a lower-bracket semifinal against Xtreme Gaming. Both maps ultimately went to NAVI, but the series did not follow one simple pattern: the opener produced a clear scoreboard advantage, while the second remained close until NAVI took control after the 35-minute mark.
NAVI established the lead in the opening game and finished with 43 kills to Aurora’s 19. Artem “Niku” Bachkur added another win on Huskar, extending his reported winning streak on the hero to 14 matches. That detail matters because it connects an individual comfort pick to a completed result without making it the sole explanation for the sweep. The sources confirm the streak and the first-map outcome, but they do not reduce every decision in the game to one player or hero.
The second map demanded more patience. The teams remained close until roughly 35 minutes, after which NAVI gained an advantage and converted it quickly. That sequence made the 2-0 score more informative than it might appear on its own. NAVI could win a game in which it moved ahead clearly, then close another after a longer balanced phase. Aurora were unable to force a third map, so their first lower-bracket defeat also became their last series of the event.
Aurora leave with a changed lineup
Aurora played the tournament with Igor “Stojkov” Stojkov standing in for midlaner Rafli “Mikoto” Fathur Rahman. PGL Wallachia Season 9 was also Oliver “skiter” Lepko’s first event with the team. Those circumstances provide necessary context for the finish, although neither fact should be presented as proof of why Aurora lost. A stand-in changes preparation and communication, while a new carry needs time to settle, but the series result still came from the two games played against NAVI.
The event supplied an early sample of skiter’s hero usage in the new lineup. He played Sven four times and won three of those matches, while his Lone Druid appeared three times with two wins. These tournament totals describe his most frequent choices; they do not show that Aurora had solved every draft question around the new roster. The team advanced into the playoffs and won its opening upper-bracket series before consecutive defeats moved it out of contention.
Aurora’s fifth-sixth-place finish closed the team’s run. That placement is the final confirmed tournament outcome for the team, not a forecast about the roster’s next event. The useful evaluation is therefore limited to what Wallachia demonstrated: Aurora could reach the playoff bracket with a stand-in and a new carry, but could not recover after dropping into elimination territory.
NAVI now face a different test. Their reward for the sweep is another elimination series, this time against Xtreme Gaming. The winner remains alive and advances toward the lower-bracket final; the loser exits. NAVI’s clean result against Aurora offers momentum, yet the bracket resets the immediate stakes because no map advantage carries into the next best-of-three.
What the result changes
The series establishes two separate outcomes. Aurora’s run is complete, with fifth-sixth place and the associated prize secured. NAVI continue through the lower bracket and must beat Xtreme to extend their tournament. It does not establish a final ranking for NAVI or confirm how far their run will go.
That boundary is important in a fast-moving playoff. A decisive victory can improve confidence and reveal useful drafts, but it cannot substitute for the next result. NAVI handled two different map states against Aurora and earned their place in the semifinal. Xtreme now become the relevant opponent, while Aurora leave Bucharest with evidence from the first tournament of their revised lineup.
- Series result: NAVI defeated Aurora Gaming 2-0 in the lower bracket.
- Aurora outcome: fifth-sixth place after the playoff defeat.
- NAVI next step: a lower-bracket semifinal against Xtreme Gaming.
| Confirmed point | Tournament meaning |
|---|---|
| Opening map | NAVI finished with a 43-19 kill score |
| Second map | NAVI took control after a close first 35 minutes |
| Niku on Huskar | Reported winning streak extended to 14 matches |
| Aurora roster | Stojkov stood in and skiter played his first event with the team |
NAVI earned more than a place in the next round: they showed they could close both a commanding map and a tighter game that changed later. Aurora’s first tournament with skiter and a stand-in midlaner ends in fifth-sixth place. The bracket now gives NAVI one clear assignment—repeat that control against Xtreme Gaming.
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