TheRock7 on Natus Vincere 's struggles: “We've hit our ceiling. We're drowning”
TheRock7 on Natus Vincere 's struggles: “We've hit our ceiling. We're drowning”
Natus Vincere continue to struggle for momentum after falling 1-2 to Team Vitality at LEC 2026 Summer.
Head coach Vasilis "TheRock" Voltis believes the current roster has approached its ceiling and is no longer showing the level of improvement the team needs. Speaking in an interview with Sheep Esports, he discussed the decision to keep the same lineup for Summer, Rhilech 's development, NAVI's approach to practice, and the upcoming match against Fnatic .
On the current roster's ceiling
TheRock explained that keeping the same roster for the Summer Split was a deliberate gamble.
Natus Vincere had explored the market, but ultimately chose continuity in the hope that more time together would help the lineup develop stronger synergy.
"We kept the same roster in summer for a reason. Even though we explored the market, we believed that keeping the same lineup could lead to them clicking together better. It was sort of a gamble. You either make a change and hope for a new honeymoon period or keep things as they are and hope it clicks. Our gamble did not work out. I would say we've hit our ceiling, honestly."
According to TheRock, NAVI's primary issue is not its overall approach to matches or drafts, but the execution of specific in-game situations. He said the same mistakes have continued to appear across multiple splits despite the team's attempts to address them.
"I don't see us improving at all. We've tried many different things to get better, but it's just not clicking. In the LEC, you either swim or you drown. We swam for about two splits, but this summer, we're drowning."
On Rhilech 's development
Despite the team's wider struggles, TheRock singled out Rhilech as a player he believes can still develop significantly.
The coach sees him as a potential foundation for the roster moving forward and said he has spent considerable time working with him throughout the year.
"He is the tool I want to build around. He's probably the player I've worked the most with this year. I'm happy with his improvement. Sometimes he picks some concepts up a bit slower, but he does it in a more accurate and efficient way. He hasn't hit his ceiling yet — that I can tell you for sure. He has a lot of room to improve."
TheRock added that experienced teammates could help accelerate Rhilech 's progress by offering perspectives that coaching alone cannot provide.
On scrim practice
The coach also outlined his philosophy toward scrims, stressing that practice needs to have clear objectives rather than devolving into random fights or early forfeits.
"Personally, I can't imagine a world where my team doesn't take scrims seriously. Scrims need to make sense. There should be no random deaths, no random fights. You need to come in with a clear idea of what you're looking to improve while understanding the theory behind it as well."
Going forward, TheRock wants NAVI to make greater use of the Practice Tool to isolate and work on specific situations.
He identified teamfighting, early-game scenarios, and mid-game macro as potential areas where more structured practice could help the team improve.
On the match against Fnatic
Natus Vincere remain in contention for a place in the LEC 2026 Summer playoffs, although TheRock admitted that finishing the group stage inside the top four is now highly unlikely.
His immediate priority is simply securing playoff qualification.
"For now, I'm focusing on making playoffs first. We have two really important matches ahead of us. As for Fnatic , I believe it's going to be a close one. I just want us to play as good as we can. If we do that, I think we will win."
Following the defeat to Team Vitality , Natus Vincere hold a 3-4 record in the LEC 2026 Summer group stage.
Their next opponent will be Fnatic .
