Aurora began their StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 campaign with a convincing 2–0 victory over NAVI, winning Nuke and Mirage without allowing their opponents to take control of the series.
As Cybersport In reports, citing HLTV, Aurora defeated NAVI 13–8 on Nuke before completing the sweep with a 13–7 victory on Mirage.
NAVI started strongly on Nuke and took the opening four rounds. However, Aurora quickly adjusted their defence and responded with five consecutive rounds, with Jimi «Jimpphat» Salo playing a key role from his lurk positions.
NAVI held a narrow advantage at halftime, but their attacking side failed to produce a consistent response. Aurora, led by Jimpphat, Ali «Wicadia» Haydar Yalçın and Ismailcan «XANTARES» Dörtkardeş, limited their opponents to only one round after the break.
The second map proved even more difficult for Natus Vincere. Aurora built a 9–1 lead on Mirage as NAVI struggled with coordination and repeatedly left important positions unchecked during the middle stages of rounds.
Aurora quickly reached match point after winning the second-half pistol round. NAVI managed to delay the defeat by taking several rounds, but Damjan «kyxsan» Stoilkovski completed a one-versus-three clutch with a Tec-9 to close the map 13–7.
Jimpphat was the strongest player in the series, finishing with 38 kills, 86.2 average damage per round and a 1.44 rating. Kyxsan recorded a 1.32 rating, while Wicadia ended the match with a 1.04 rating.
Drin «makazze» Shaqiri produced NAVI’s best individual performance with 32 kills and a 1.10 rating. Mihai «iM» Ivan finished with a 1.03 rating, while Valeriy «b1t» Vakhovskiy recorded a 1.00 rating.
The defeat continued NAVI’s difficult start to the autumn season. The Ukrainian organization has secured only three victories since the competitive break, beating 3DMAX, The MongolZ and paiN.
NAVI dropped to 15th place in the live Valve Regional Standings, their lowest position since the ranking system was introduced. The result also dealt another blow to the team’s chances of receiving a favourable invitation to the Singapore Major.
Aurora advanced to the upper bracket, where they were scheduled to face NRG. NAVI moved into an elimination match against MOUZ, who had suffered a surprise defeat against NRG earlier in the Counter-Strike tournament.
