sociablEE: “Next time we will be ready for the aggro players” – on NAVI’s loss to Gentle Mates & lessons learned

Esports News UK spoke to Volkan ‘sociablEE’ Yönal after NAVI’s upper-bracket defeat to Gentle Mates in EMEA Kickoff 2026.

While the 2-0 loss was at times a brutal lesson for the previously high-flying roster, they still have two lives left in the competition.

They now enter a stacked middle-bracket, next facing the winner of Liquid and Fnatic.

Esports News UK Interview with NAVI’s sociablEE

In your first two matches, you had a lot of map control, and you made a lot of good decisions off the back of that. Why didn’t we see the same Na’Vi today, do you think?

I mean, it’s most likely it’s not about us. It’s about them because them. I can say they played good.

They did something weird, and they didn’t let us to decide, basically.

What do you mean by something weird? What did you notice?

I mean, I’m not sure if it’s their game plan or not, but they played aggressive, I can say, and I feel like we are not ready to play against aggro teams, you know?

I mean, doing strats is good against static teams, but they were playing more proactive, so they did something good, I guess.

I don’t know. I mean, we were sleeping, maybe.

“I mean, it was a good experience to play against a team like this. So next time, we will be ready for the aggro players.” – socialblEE on lessons from the loss

In terms of Abyss, did you give them too much respect and sit back too much?

Yeah, probably. I mean, to be honest, we are not a good Abyss team. I mean, we are not bad, decent, the middle somewhere.

And if there is a good Abyss team, I was expecting that it will be hard to play against, because I think we were not feeling comfortable on Abyss.

So we lost all pistols, except the last one, and they just took momentum. We lost some bonus rounds.

Yeah, that’s when they just took momentum, and they played good. They just keep their momentum, somehow.

On Abyss, do you think maybe you’re too readable when you’re on attack? It seemed like they always knew where you were going.

Yeah, yes. If you play slow, it’s kind of easy to read for them. I mean, if you are playing slow, but not aggro, you are readable, I think.

It’s okay to play slow, but you need to do something effective if you play slow.

I mean, if you are just staying AFK, it’s just bad for you.

Do you think you were more AFK today?

Today, yeah. On Abyss, especially for sure. We just waited for, like, something.

Solo entry 3k for @imthemarteen 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9Z7DFqdNV8

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) January 29, 2026

On Bind, on Attack you put some rounds together at the end of the half. Could you talk through any adaptations you made during the match?

On Bind. I mean, I didn’t feel like it was a solution, you know. It was just situational. We played better, and we won four rounds, I guess.

I mean, at the end of the half, we won three rounds in a row or two. It was just situational rounds.

I mean, just some extras, we did some good trades, and we win. I don’t think it was [that] we found a solution.

We’ve seen quite a few teams struggle on the attack side of Bind. Do you think that the utility changes have kind of made it more difficult to kind of scale onto the sites?

I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want to think about today, because on Abyss, okay, I said we are playing [only] decent on Abyss, but on Bind, we were always good in practice and in Officials.

I think we could play much better if we win some pistol or, like, anti-bonus, at least.

And Bind, I can say Bind was momentum, but Abyss, we played bad.

We let them take momentum on Abyss.

Did you feel like you never got that big round to swing the game and your emotions?

Yeah, after the first half, yes. I mean, in terms of fundamentals, they did better, most likely. I mean, today, they just played better.

I felt sometimes that we can come back, we can beat them, actually, but they just didn’t let us.

MINNYYYYYYYY THAT WAS UNREAL pic.twitter.com/wBM3oD81gm

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) January 29, 2026

What lessons do you think you’ll take from today?

I mean, it was a good experience to play against a team like this.

So next time, we will be ready for the aggro teams, I mean, aggro players.

“I think he’s the best coach I ever worked with. Also, in EMEA, I think he’s the best.” – sociablEE on NAVI coach ANGE1

Going into the middle-bracket. There are some good teams there. What do you think of your chances there?

I mean, we have a big chance still. We are in the middle.

I know there are good teams on middle. Actually, I don’t know who we play against next match, but I don’t care.

We just go and beat them somehow.

What has felt like being in NAVI?

I mean, great actually.

I’m not a person who can show his emotions. Basically, I’m cold.

Yeah, just good, great, good feelings being in NAVI.

How are you finding ANGE1 as a coach so far?

I think he’s the best coach I ever worked with. Also, in EMEA, I think he’s the best.

I don’t have an idea about other coaches. I didn’t work with them, but ANGE1 is, I think, the best.

He has a lot of experience. He knows how players think, how players feel during the game.

I mean, he knows everything. He’s very good.