NAVI's CS: GO academy player headtr1ck expected to replace s1mple at BLAST Premier Fall Groups

A recent Instagram story posted by legendary professional CS: GO player s1mple on August 13 has given rise to some speculation among fans that he might drop out of the tournament for personal reasons that haven't been confirmed yet.

As for who might replace him, NAVI's official Instagram page has made a post concerning Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov, suggesting his return to the team for the upcoming BLAST Premier Fall Groups. Since the official reason for NAVI's post remains unknown, fans suspect it might have something to do with s1mple's tease.

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What do CS: GO pro s1mple's Instagram posts say?

headtr1ck has been a substitute for NAVI's team on several occasions before, and it could be possible that it is his time again to step up. He has played in many tournaments under the banners of NAVI Junior and NAVI Youth. On several occasions, he has undertaken the role of players on the main team as well.

s1mple is a veteran CS: GO player and is also considered to be one of the best players of all time the professional scene has ever seen. However, in the upcoming BLAST Premier, he might be stepping down, with headtr1ck taking his spot as a substitute, according to s1mple's Instagram story as well as speculations.

His story on the social media platform read:

"GL @headtrickcs."

He also posted another story regarding mentioning an announcement, which left the community shaken. The story just said:

"Big announcement coming soon."

The writing was followed by a little thinking emoji at the end.

It is unknown what this could mean, and fans are suspecting this tease could be related to a tweet s1mple posted that had Valve tagged. Some fans are that the "big announcement" could be a repercussion for the post, but there really is no insight available into the story.

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What is the CS: GO BLAST Premier?

The CS: GO BLAST Premier is a professional esports league that mainly features two of the biggest regions: North America and Europe. The league has hosted multiple series of tournaments throughout the year since 2020.

NAVI has been a constant participant in the tournament, but with the current news, it could be expected that the roster might go see a little bit of change. Although headtr1ck replacing s1mple would be a pretty decent development as he has been a great substitute in the past.

While playing for NAVI Juniors and NAVI Youth, headtr1ck has helped the team achieve second place in tournaments like WePlay Academy League Season 2 and Gameinside.ua ROG Winter Cup 2020.

With multiple achievements like these under his belt, headtr1ck is undoubtedly an exceptionally gifted young player.