“I was playing on a completely different resolution” – NAVI hiro on the 1v1 Skirmish, ANGE1 coaching, the new Meta, and chemistry with Filu & sociablEE

Despite retaining three players, Emirhan ‘hiro’ Kat, finds himself in a very different Natus Vincere from the 2025 roster, following Kyrylo ‘ANGE1’ Karasov’s transition to coaching.

hiro spoke to Esports News UK about ANGE1’s coaching, growing team chemistry with new teammates, Volkan ‘sociablEE’ Yonal and Dawid ‘Filu’ Czarnecki, and how the new meta is shifting his game.

The anchor spoke to ENUK after he produced an outstanding 41/26/6 performance in NAVI’s season debut, which saw them defeat Karmine Corp 2-0.

The first #NAVIWIN of the year 💃 pic.twitter.com/TLyz51KFL0

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@valesports_emea) January 20, 2026

With the roster changes, with ANGE1 stepping into coaching, what do you think the ceiling for this roster is? How far do you think you can go?

I would say the roster has a very high ceiling.

I think with the help of ANGE1 coaching now instead of [playing], not saying he’s bad or anything, but he’s very smart, and he has a very good understanding of the game because he has so much experience.

So now that he’s a coach, he can see more of the small things that, as an IGL, he probably couldn’t have seen or would have to look back multiple times to see.

As a coach, he can see it more and fine-tune us more. I think that has raised the ceiling a lot compared to last year, I would say.

And, of course, getting Filu and sociablEE. sociablEE being an extremely talented initiator. He has really good potential as well. He talks a lot, has a good understanding of the game, of what to do.

With Filu entrying really well, playing with Operator and Vandal. Like, the ceiling is very high.

And Ruxic and Shao, I think everyone knows they have very good potential, and they’re insane.

“He’s a very nice guy. He’s like an older brother, I would say. The chemistry is just very good.” – hiro on NAVI’s sociablEE

How would you define the difference in the server of Shao calling versus ANGE1?

I think it’s similar. Of course, it’s similar because he has, like, five years of experience playing with ANGE1, hearing all his calls, listening to it, so he’s experienced a lot of it.

ANGE1 also helps him with IGLing. So, he’s starting off on a good spot, I would say, a really good ground level.

ANGE1’s helping him build all the small rules and things that he needs as an IGL.

So, that’s getting to a really good point as well.

“In the offseason, I’ve worked a lot on my game. Seeing what helps me, what works, and I took a lot of time figuring it out. I’m sort of getting to that point where it’s going in a good direction that I like, and I’m doing good.” – hiro on his individual form

In terms of the team chemistry, you have two new players. It feels like everyone had moments where they popped off today. How are you feeling about the guys settling in?

I mean, we’re feeling good, chemistry-wise. Everyone gets along.

I think it also helps that we have three Turkish people. So, I feel like we automatically get along, just being able to talk with each other in Turkish and feeling together a lot.

Of course, I was already getting along with Ruxic, and Ruxic is very good friends with sociablEE. He’s played a lot with him, and he knows how he is.

I don’t mind getting along with him as well. He’s a very nice guy. He’s like an older brother, I would say. The chemistry is just very good.

We’re tuning all the small things, but it’s already a very good start.

You could feel that chemistry at the start of both maps, but you struggled to close both out. What do you think happened?

I mean, nothing special. We had to just had to sort of get used to the stage a bit and playing together on stage, I would say, and ending the match when we have to.

I think it took too long for us to end the maps. I think we should have won faster. It took longer than I would have hoped for.

But we just need to back out and see why it was like that.

“It sort of makes the games two categories for the teams: One that plays super fast, on that first utility, and the other one that plays slow, waiting for the recharge of their utility, and then going somewhere with that.” – hiro on the 2026 meta

I noticed there were a few times where you went really deep into the clock, and it wasn’t clear if you’d be able to plant. On a couple of those rounds, that was punished. Was that a matter of getting used to tactics, or do you think that’s an aspect of your game where you actively want to play late into the round?

It’s a part of our game, for sure. I think it’s crucial for a team to be able to either play fast whenever they want to, or switch and play really slow and play towards the later 30 seconds of the round.

So, it’s definitely a part of our game. We just need to find the sweet spot, where we can play late and be able to plant late enough, but also have enough time to actually get to that point.

We need to find, like, the right spot. I think we’re playing a little bit too late on that, but we just need to test and see what’s good, and that will work.

THE PERFECT SNAKE BITE @suygetsu pic.twitter.com/oRSVCB8NAd

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@valesports_emea) January 20, 2026

In the new meta, with the utility not lasting as long, how are you feeling in the game, and how do you think it affects your team overall?

It’s definitely a help for me, being an anchor and knowing that teams either have to go early with less utility, so they’ve used it earlier, and they don’t have it for one minute. So that definitely helps for me.

It sort of makes the games two categories for the teams. One that plays super fast, on that first utility, and the other one that plays slow, waiting for the recharge of their utility, and then going somewhere with that.

I think it definitely benefits us because we can play both styles pretty well. So, we can just take our time or go fast and do whatever we want. But I think it helps both.

“Furia as a team, they look pretty insane… So, I would see them going to Santiago. I want to go to Santiago as well, and I want to see them there.” – hiro on Furia

Individually, you looked so sharp today. How are you feeling individually despite losing the 1v1 Skirmish?

I mean, I didn’t really care about the skirmish. We didn’t have a lot of time to set up, and all of a sudden, I had to switch my resolution, and I was playing on a completely different resolution for the first time.

So I didn’t really care, and it ended up just benefiting us anyway that I lost the skirmish. So I didn’t really mind.

I just played my game. In the offseason, I’ve worked a lot on my game. Seeing what helps me, what works, and I took a lot of time figuring it out.

I’m sort of getting to that point where it’s going in a good direction that I like, and I’m doing good.

So I think it’s nice, I would say, mostly. Nice for me.

100% Skirmish Winrate @LewNvlr pic.twitter.com/iGWG5d5tls

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@valesports_emea) January 20, 2026

In terms of the whole VCT, what are the roster moves where you’re really looking forward to playing that team?

I want to play against Furia because I have a good friend of mine who is there as well. I want to go against him, see how his new team is.

They look very good. So I want to go against them and, like, see how they are. At an international.

Do you think they can get to an international?

They look very good. Furia as a team, they look pretty insane.

They beat Sentinels the other day, and I was rooting for them. I was rooting for them a lot, and I wanted to see them win.

So it was nice seeing them win, and seeing Koala [koalanoob], my ex-teammate, doing good as well. It’s nice to see.

So, I would see them going to Santiago. I want to go to Santiago as well, and I want to see them there.

A new year means a fresh slate.@FURIA takes the series 2-0! #VCTAmericas pic.twitter.com/4Daz03JYuT

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesportsna) January 18, 2026