Head Coach Vincent "
Happy" Schopenhauer, who had attracted interest from both
Gentle Mates and
Team Liquid earlier this season, has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with NAVI for the upcoming VCT EMEA season, according to Sheep Esports sources. Happy, who transitioned to coaching at the start of 2023 after a three-year playing career, has been part of the M80 staff in the VCL North America for nearly two years. His tenure there has been a true success story, leading the team to win Split 1 and the end-of-season playoffs in 2023, and repeating the feat by clinching the 2024 playoffs.
Under Happy’s leadership, M80 twice competed in the Ascension Americas tournament, where the best teams in the continent vied for promotion to VCT Americas, the top tier of local competition. On both occasions, M80 came tantalizingly close to earning a promotion but fell short each time. In both 2023 and 2024, the team lost once in the Upper Bracket and again in the Grand Final to the same team—The Guard in 2023 and 2Game Esports in 2024.
Although Happy was unable to secure a spot in
VALORANT's Tier 1 through Ascension, his impressive track record with M80 has drawn
the attention of EMEA teams. At NAVI, he joins an organization that has yet to fully assert itself in the VCT EMEA league. In 2024, despite a strong Kickoff and an excellent first few weeks in Stage 1, NAVI’s performance dipped as the season progressed. The team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in both Stages.
Happy will not be alone in his mission to revive NAVI’s fortunes. He will be joined by Emirhan "hiro" Kat, one of the most highly sought-after players in EMEA this offseason, who has also committed to the Ukrainian team,
as previously reported by Sheep Esports. We can also confirm that his former player with M80, GianFranco "
koalanoob" Potestio, and former Fire Flux Esports’ player Uğur "
Ruxic" Gü will also play for NAVI, as reported first by Purest. Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov and Andrei "Shao" Kiprskii will remain on the team for the upcoming season, still according to our information. Together, they will aim to propel NAVI to the upper echelons of VCT EMEA competition.
