Best rapiers by NAVI.GG.BET

One rapier, two rapiers!

Dota 2's most powerful item damage-wise, the Divine Rapier, can be considered one of  Natus Vincere's signature items. It was our former player  Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich who revolutionized the way it was used back in the day, showing that it can be a decent pick up in competitive play.

Because Alexander is still part of NAVI as a coach, this risky spirit remains alive in the hearts of our players. Today we are looking at some of the most memorable NAVI matches in which we saw this item appear.

NAVI vs FnatiC, map 3
GESC: Indonesia

The memories of the decider map against  Fnatic at the Indonesian Minor are still fresh: as the game carried into the late phase, our players found themselves in an unfortunate position with mega creeps and a huge gold and experience deficit.

The purchase of a divine rapier 62 minutes into the game wasn't a desperate move, but rather a well-grounded decision, as the only way to destroy the enemy throne was getting additional attack damage. Fnatic didn't expect that we'd finish off the throne so quickly, so they went for a race — the result is a spectacular ending and a victory for Born to Win!

NAVI — Virtus.pro, map 2
DreamLeague Season 8

Perhaps, the most memorable rapier game as of late was the CIS derby versus  Virtus.pro.

Notably, those were VP who brought the first rapier into play, as they lost one set of racks and were risking the remaining ones too because we had Morphling in our lineup. Then, Medusa purchased a rapier — a classic hero-item combination!

At minute 56, VP lost the rapier. This would entail a loss in all other situations, but not in this one:  No[o]ne got another rapier in a minute's time (and one more a little further into the game). Interestingly, at one point, our opponents had three rapiers on their carry!

But none of them helped VP fight against the mega creeps: not only did Natus Vincere players survive a siege but they also managed to destroy the enemy's throne and finish off the game with the rapier on Morphling.

NAVI — Vega Squadron, map 2
The International 2015 qualifiers

One rapier, two rapiers, Alexander Yurievich! The signature Gyrocopter + Divine Rapier combination was all our carry needed to ink his name into history and become a subject of countless memes. Add to that a large gold deficit and lost lanes, and you can see why this match is considered so epic!

Notably, at that time  Vega featured 60% of current VP players and performed well not only within the region but also in the international scene.

Minute 69 recalibrated the game's starting point. We bought a rapier, throwing Vega off-balance despite an Aegis under their belt. With  Dendi's masterful Reverse Polarity, the enemies were thrown into Gyro's AoE damage radius and eliminated with no option to buy back and could only watch NAVI go for the throne to close out a huge comeback.

NAVI — OG, map 3
StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 1

Next up we have the game versus  OG, the team known as one of our most dangerous rivals ever. The final map of this bo3 was an absolute cliffhanger, and not only because of the rapier — every NAVI fan remembers Dendi's epic skewer onto the cliff!

In this game, we saw two rapiers on  Ditya Ra's Ember Spirit — at that time, Ember relied mostly on physical damage. Plus, the lineup featuring Magnus gave him a significant damage boost. Since NAVI lost the mid lane barracks and were falling behind in net worth, powerful damage items were their only chance to turn the tides.

56 minutes into the game, Ember's Sleight of Fist eliminated three enemy heroes, including two cores. Soon after, we forced the "gg" call, securing victory in style!

NAVI — Team DK, map 2
MLG Championship Columbus

How can we forget about the classics? Last but not least is the game against  Team DK with two rapiers on  XBOCT's Gyro!

The Chinese were by no means prepared for such a move, since back then the rapier purchase didn't seem to make much sense in the competitive setting, and our situation wasn't that desperate. For Natus Vincere, however, it seemed perfectly logical: with a rapier on our carry, the team won a series of team fights and took the game.

The recent performances of Danil "Dendi" Ishutin and Vladislav "Crystallize" Krystanek showed that our old Divine Rapier traditions are still alive today. We are sure to see it in our future battles and guide the team to new victories! #gonavi