NAVI Beats GamerLegion 3-1 to Win Third Consecutive EPL Masters Title

NAVI wins EPL Masters III

Natus Vincere has won EPL Masters III after defeating GamerLegion 3-1 in the best-of-five grand final. The victory completed a playoff campaign in which NAVI won every series and collected a third consecutive championship in the EPL Masters tournament line.

NAVI received $50,000 from the event's $100,000 prize pool. GamerLegion finished second with $25,000 after fighting through the lower bracket and becoming the only opponent to take a map from the champion during the playoffs.

The final followed a clear pattern. NAVI won a long opening map, GamerLegion answered with a quick Game 2, and NAVI then took complete control of the last two games. Carry player gotthejuice became the central figure in the closing stretch, recording 16 kills in Game 3 and another 11 in Game 4.

The title also continues a productive 2026 season for NAVI's Dota 2 roster. The team had already reached finals at PGL Wallachia Season 9 and BLAST Slam VI, and it now converts another deep run into a trophy.

A 43-minute opener gives NAVI the lead

Game 1 was the longest map of the final at 43 minutes and 16 seconds. NAVI won 23-18 in kills after building a late advantage worth more than 15,000 gold. The map required patience because GamerLegion remained competitive through the middle stages and maintained enough farm to threaten a decisive fight.

NAVI's cores all contributed. Niku's Nature's Prophet finished 9/2/9 with the highest net worth in the match, while pma's Brewmaster recorded 7/1/7. Gotthejuice played Viper and added a 5/2/11 score with 35,800 hero damage.

The support line helped the team survive a chaotic game. Riddys finished 2/2/12 on Winter Wyvern, while daze's Bounty Hunter continued providing information and assists despite being targeted repeatedly. NAVI eventually converted its stronger late inventory and map position into the opening point of the series.

Winning the longest game mattered because GamerLegion's lineup still had strong scaling tools. NAVI did not rely on a single early timing. It stayed organized until the advantage became large enough to close safely.

GamerLegion responds through Yuma's Io

GamerLegion immediately tied the final in Game 2. The map lasted only 23 minutes and 53 seconds, making it the shortest decisive response of the series.

Yuma delivered the key performance on Io, finishing 9/0/5 without a death. RCY's Snapfire added 4/2/9, while Bignum's Bounty Hunter recorded 13 assists. The lineup accelerated quickly and prevented NAVI's Lone Druid, Earthshaker and Doom from reaching the items needed for a longer fight.

For NAVI, no core player finished with more than two kills. Gotthejuice was limited to 1/4/0 on Lone Druid, and GamerLegion repeatedly forced engagements before the bear and supporting heroes could stabilize the map.

The one-sided answer changed the pressure of the final. NAVI had lost its first map of the playoff stage, while GamerLegion had demonstrated that the upper-bracket defeat between the teams did not define the rematch. The next draft therefore became a test of how quickly NAVI could reset.

Game 3 becomes the turning point

NAVI's response was the strongest map of the series. The team won Game 3 in 37:33 with a 44-15 kill score and a gold advantage that reached approximately 35,000 by the end.

Gotthejuice led the attack on Kez with a 16/1/12 performance. His 31,700 net worth and 856 gold per minute reflected how completely NAVI controlled the available farm after the opening phase.

The rest of the lineup supported the carry without sacrificing its own impact. Pma's Timbersaw finished 13/4/11, Niku's Keeper of the Light added 5/4/23, and both support players reached at least 22 assists. Daze contributed eight kills on Dark Willow, unusually high production from the support position.

GamerLegion continued looking for fights through Yuma's Windranger, but the team could not contain NAVI's growing damage. Once Kez and Timbersaw established control of the front line, every exchange increased the gold difference.

The third map did more than restore NAVI's series lead. It removed the momentum GamerLegion had created in Game 2 and placed the favorite one victory from the championship with a clear drafting direction.

Gotthejuice closes the final on Nature's Prophet

NAVI maintained the same pace in Game 4 and ended the series in 28 minutes and 12 seconds. Gotthejuice switched to Nature's Prophet and finished 11/1/9 with 24,300 net worth. The final gold difference exceeded 26,000.

Pma provided the stable front line on Brewmaster and completed the map at 1/0/15. Niku's Keeper of the Light produced 7/1/10, Riddys added 5/1/11 on Dazzle, and daze supplied 15 assists with Windranger.

GamerLegion never found the same accelerated start that had powered its second-game win. NAVI spread pressure across the map, used Nature's Prophet to create numerical advantages and converted each successful move into additional space and farm.

The last two maps show why the final ended 3-1. After losing Game 2, NAVI did not make a small adjustment and return to a balanced contest. It changed the scale of the match, winning through a 35,000-gold advantage in Game 3 and another dominant economy in the decider.

Gotthejuice finished the four-game series with 33 kills, the highest total in the final. His performances on Kez and Nature's Prophet provided 27 of those kills across the last two maps.

An unbeaten route through the playoff bracket

NAVI entered EPL Masters III directly in the playoffs. The team defeated Nemiga 2-0 in its opening series, then swept GamerLegion 2-0 in the upper-bracket semifinal and Yellow Submarine 2-0 in the upper-bracket final.

That route gave NAVI three days of series wins without a lost map before the grand final. GamerLegion had to take a longer path after its first defeat to NAVI. It eliminated OG, Huligani and Yellow Submarine to earn a rematch.

The lower-bracket run made GamerLegion a credible finalist. The team had already played multiple elimination matches and arrived with a better understanding of NAVI's approach. Its victory in Game 2 confirmed that the rematch was more competitive than the earlier 2-0.

NAVI still controlled the tournament's decisive phase. Across four playoff series, the eventual champion posted three sweeps and one 3-1 victory. The only lost map came in the grand final.

Third consecutive EPL Masters championship

The victory gives NAVI a third straight title in the EPL Masters series. The core of gotthejuice, Niku, pma and Riddys also won EPL Masters I and EPL Masters II earlier in 2026. Daze completes the current playing roster, with Cy- serving as coach.

The full lineup represents a young Ukrainian-centered project with additional Kazakh and Danish experience. Taras gotthejuice Linnikov plays carry, Artem Niku Bachkur handles the middle lane, Yurii pma Prots occupies the offlane, and Tamir daze Tokpanov and Stanislav Riddys Mitroshkyn form the support pair.

Winning three editions in a row reflects consistency beyond one favorable bracket. NAVI has repeatedly adjusted to the online event's changing field and converted strong playoff positions into titles. EPL Masters III was especially convincing because the team arrived late in the competition and immediately won seven of eight maps.

What comes next for NAVI

NAVI's next announced event is BLAST Slam IX, scheduled to run online from November 20 through November 29. Sixteen teams will compete for a $750,000 prize pool, creating a stronger international test than EPL Masters III.

The two-week break gives the team time to review a final that contained both a warning and an encouraging response. GamerLegion exposed NAVI's vulnerability to fast drafts in Game 2, but the following maps showed that the roster could reset immediately and return with two decisive wins.

For GamerLegion, second place completes another notable result after recent finishes at BLAST Slam VIII and PGL Wallachia Season 9. Yuma's undefeated Io performance was the clearest example of the team's ceiling, even though it could not repeat that control in the closing maps.

NAVI leaves EPL Masters III with the trophy, $50,000 and a third consecutive title. More importantly, it enters the next stage of the season with a stable roster, a defined carry threat and evidence that it can recover inside a best-of-five after losing momentum.

Source: NAVI, Valve and OpenDota.