Natus Vincere are among the teams signed up for HyperX Retake Season 13, a 16-team LAN in Lisbon, Portugal, running from October 29 to November 1. The prize pool is $16,996.
The organization had until October 19 to withdraw from the event, but stayed registered after the deadline passed. The tournament overlaps with PGL Masters Bucharest (October 24-31) and ends less than a day before IEM Beijing begins (November 2-8).
The reason is a poor Fall season, after which NAVI dropped below the top 20 on the VRS in September and faced the risk of missing a Major for the first time in the organization's history. Two valuable LAN wins at ESL Pro League Season 24 gave a brief boost, but the team has since slipped to 30th on the VRS, and its Major spot is not yet secure as teams below it try to catch up.
HLTV's simulation currently gives NAVI a 96.6% chance of qualifying. That figure can be misleading, since it assumes the team will play two events before the invite deadline and win at least some of its matches, particularly against lower-ranked opponents at HyperX Retake. Without enough LAN wins, NAVI would remain well short of a Major spot.
Adding to the uncertainty, the team list for the event in Portugal is still incomplete. That could leave NAVI in a GSL group with only three teams, depriving them of a chance to win one of the LAN matches they need to lock in their invite.