"I feel Harbor isn't that strong": d00mbr0s on NAVI's Agent preferences at VCT LOCK//IN 2023 

NAVI (Natus Vincere), one of Europe's premier esports organizations, put on one of the most ardent performances at VCT LOCK//IN 2023. They managed to secure a top-four finish in this single-elimination tournament that witnessed 32 of the best teams in the world.

In their attempt to establish themselves as the best team in the world, NAVI was defeated by fellow EMEA powerhouse Fnatic in the VCT LOCK//IN 2023 semi-finals. They returned home after collecting a $40,000 cash prize and ample confidence for their 2023 EMEA League season.

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d00mbr0s talks about NAVI's 0% pick-rate on Harbor at VCT LOCK//IN 2023 Sao Paulo

After Natus Vincere's semi-final defeat to Fnatic, both teams' players and head coaches attended the post-match LOCK//IN 2023 press conference to answer media questions about their tournament experience.

In response to a question from Sportskeeda Esports, Natus Vincere's head coach, Erik "d00mbr0s" Sandgren, shared his thoughts on Valorant's latest Agent, Harbor. Detailing why he wasn't a part of NAVI's team composition throughout LOCK//IN despite having a higher pick-rate than popular Agents like Neon and Brimstone, d00mbr0s said:

"I feel Harbor isn't that strong, in my opinion. Obviously, it has its use cases. But I think if you show it once, it works really well, and if you show it twice, it's going to work 50% worse."

Harbor was the least-picked Agent in Valorant upon release. However, after a couple of buffs improved his overall effectiveness, his pick-rate started rising. Soon, teams all over the world started experimenting with Harbor and implementing him in their team composition.

While Harbor is still not a popular Controller in ranked matchmaking or pro play, he managed to secure an overall pick-rate of 12%, placing him above the likes of even Brimstone. However, NAVI was still not confident in adapting to Harbor and decided not to implement the Agent in their tactics for the tournament.

About this, d00mbr0s said:

"For us, we're just focused on having good comms, having fundamentals, playing this first tournament to go through every scenario possible, be it winning, losing, playing all maps;so we've accomplished all of our goals. That doesn't mean we won't play Harbor in the future, right? But for this tournament, I don't think he was that strong."

Natus Vincere was just two victories away from winning the VCT LOCK//IN 2023 trophy. However, their journey in Sao Paulo was cut short after losing to the eventual champions, Fnatic, in the semi-final stage.

Regardless of their defeat, NAVI finished the tournament as one of the top-four Valorant teams globally and one of the top-two EMEA teams. Fans of the organization can certainly be proud of their team's performance and look back on their journey with gratification.

Natus Vincere will return to top-tier Valorant action in the VCT EMEA League, which is set to commence on March 28, 2023.