NAF: "I don't know if I'll be on the team after this event"

14-6-2025 12:18

A horrid Major performance brought an end to the worst season in the Canadian's career.

Following Liquid's 0-3 elimination from the BLAST.tv Austin Major at the hands of MOUZ, Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic has suggested his time on the team may be coming to an end after more than seven years.

"I don't know if I'll be on the team after this event," he said in an interview with BLAST after a three-map thriller that came down to triple overtime on the deciding Mirage.

MOUZ consign Liquid to last place in Stage 3 despite ultimate's 45-kill decider

The comment follows the worst season of NAF's career, during which he averaged a 0.92 rating over eight tournaments.

In explaining the dip in form, NAF said prior to the event that the arrivals of Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz at the beginning of 2025 and Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek a few months later, which caused several role changes inside the team, made it difficult for him to find his space.

He had hoped to "redeem himself" in Austin, but instead the disappointing season came to a close with the Canadian recording a measly 0.71 rating over five maps against Lynn Vision, The MongolZ and MOUZ.

sad, but maybe its time

2025-06-14 12:19

368

15 replies

0.71 over 5 maps is crazy work

2025-06-14 14:17

Also very sad how the community is treating NAF. He has been had this year, but the man was consistent even when Liquid was underwhelming.

2025-06-14 14:59

12 replies

Community is treating NAF with more empathy and understanding than most underperforming pros. Have you seen how people treat wonderful, jl, im, snax, malbs, cadian etc?

2025-06-14 15:02

128

11 replies

Yea I'm kinda surprised there aren't that many NAF hate threads lol

2025-06-14 15:17

3 replies

because naf doesn't really have the ego like that. He does his job, when he performs bad he doesn't try to rationalize it to everyone else.

2025-06-14 18:59

2 replies

Probably because he’s no longer hungry for trophies. Dude it’s time to retire. Get someone in that spot to pump up the energy.

2025-06-15 07:51

1 reply

Yeah I was going to add that when you don't set expectations for yourself or your fans, it can easily look like you dont have passion, which is probably true in this case.

2025-06-15 15:37

jL - clown personality iM - entry who takes so many risks which might lead to free deads Snax - baiting and taking most resources (compared to HooXi who almost takes no resources) at the beginning in G2 malbs - way too high expectations, people expect him to be "NA donk" or 1 for 1 NiKo replacer cadiaN - system didn't work in Liquid's team culture and self doubting in Astralis In NAF's case, he's never the play maker. Remember after Twistzz left FaZe, how bad were ropz? No impact at all because most of his plays are made late mid rounds. People say he's a hard baiter and no impact at all. But after he joint Vitality he has his room to make play. I'm not say NAF is as good as ropz but I think the case is similar. Liquid at the moment have too many aggressive players.

2025-06-14 15:40

6 replies

clown personality? meant as a compliment right? in the world of esports gaming weirdos on a computer 18 hours a day, having a smiling, free-spirited, actually able to communicate with other human beings personality like jL is refreshing!

2025-06-14 16:31

4 replies

You're talking in a forum where people believe in "AURA" and think that having a serious face after winning matches or disrespecting women gives them aura points

2025-06-15 17:25

hahahaha, I have to be honest I dont even know what "aura" means on these forums... bit of a boomer yea... what does Gen tiktok mean by "aura" on hltv planet? like manly and intimidating?

2025-06-15 17:28

Idk either they keep changing the definition to fit narratives

2025-06-15 17:30

hahahhaha

2025-06-15 17:37

They aren't aggro at all, they are heatmap style players. They go to the action, they dont create openings though.

2025-06-14 19:04

For sure needs a break though - dude has single handedly been the backbone of Liquid for the last seven years. Only like 10, less than 1.0 rating, events in his entire tenure prior to this season. Take a break and see if the spark comes back, cause right now it just looks like he doesn't want to play. And with his playstyle, I think he would be more than fine coming back from a break if he gets his spark back.

2025-06-14 18:44

We all know you wont, poor buddy

135

Sad that NAF couldn't play better to let his teammate Nertz play infront of his homecrowd 😔

2025-06-14 12:39

141

LOL FACTS

2025-06-14 14:55

i remember naf and nexa in renegades as star duo

2025-06-14 12:20

8 replies

Sure about that? according to roster history on team page they didnt play in the same lineup. I'm perpetually high so I don't remember details, so i had to look it up. Looks like you also might be partaking, buddy

2025-06-14 13:24

NAF replaced nexa though

2025-06-14 13:28

5 replies

ahh right then

2025-06-14 14:22

What a comment people really be making shit up nowadays lmfao good on you for acknowledging the mistake tho

2025-06-14 15:00

what so surprising ? that was like 10 years ago i only have glipses of memory regarding rng and nexa and naf playing together but if dude says it wasn't like that i don't feel desire to defend my initial thoughts because i simply don't remember that precisely

2025-06-14 15:14

> I only have glimpses > I remember

2025-06-14 15:57

> I remember glimpses

2025-06-14 23:48

hahah it was NAF and jks.

2025-06-14 13:59

I know - you won't buddy, sorry but that was an abysmal showing

i am ready liquid perfecto

2025-06-14 12:21

Perfecto hasn't looked great in cs2. Part of why he's not on a team

2025-06-14 13:52

perfecto is a below average anchor - there are far better options. Like ax1le, he is not top 20 rifler in the game anymore, like he used to be. If liquid get perfecto they would get worse.

2025-06-14 16:32

he dont have enough space to play good he need another team asap

retire and coach

Most apathetic coach

2025-06-14 12:28

Go to Flyquest

2025-06-14 12:22

kicked for sure . ultimate also not tier1 awper

when your team goes 0-3 and you're still 1.11 across 5 maps, you're tier 1 lol.

2025-06-14 12:40

he is 0.46 against mongolz and 0.6 or smth like that against lynn vision so basically not just vanished, but was a real liability in two of the three matches was terrible at map 1 against mouz too

2025-06-14 12:52

i'd say most people on the team were liabilities when you lose 5-13 and 7-13. that said, i would agree with you that he was indeed one of the main problems in the first two matches. but i still wouldn't put him under tier 1.5 b/c he IS just better than all tier 2 awps.

karma for jks

Naf sucks for sure but it's not karma he didn't kick jks

2025-06-14 12:25

14 replies

who would even replace him

2025-06-14 12:43

13 replies

since liquid now considered EU then it makes sense to just pick up a european player

2025-06-14 13:05

2 na does not get teams an na spot anymore or what?

i guess now if you have 2 EU and 2 NA youre still considered EU

why only now tho? was this changed along with the no more rmr thing?

2025-06-14 14:45

yes

2025-06-14 14:50

now if u have 2-2-1 you get assigned to the region with the largest playerbase or smth like that.

2025-06-14 16:12

if you have 2 players each from 2 regions, you appear on both regional rankings at the same time. for majors, the team will represent the region that would give them the best spot - in this major, for example, liquid would receive a stage 3 invite through the Americas rankings, but only stage 2 through Asia, so they represented Americas. if that's the same stage for both regions, they will represent the region with more spots at that major. so if Liquid is at the range for a stage 2 invite from both AM and EU, they would be an EU team

2025-06-14 23:08

Literally anyone

2025-06-14 13:21

how about +jks +asia awper or some shi to be asia major eligible

2025-06-14 13:25

With a roster like that I'm doubtful they'd be top 5 in Asia by the time Budapest comes LMFAO

2025-06-14 15:03

mongolz downfall trust also nertz twistzz and jks are super tenured and proven essentially, siuhy very promising as well and karrigan said already he would be future goat igl, asia awper is prolly the only hindrance in that scenario cause afaik there isnt really anyone available let alone someone who can actually speak english/is willing to play international lol also liquid really just need an actual coach asap as well tho lmao

2025-06-14 15:06

Liquid Jee

2025-06-14 15:05

ong

2025-06-14 15:07

Sorry brother but it's time. Surely NRG has a spot

I can see him going to complexity or m80

2025-06-14 19:56

Being high =/= high level

2025-06-14 12:23

Sad, but this has to be done for the sake of both Liquid and NAF himself, and hopefully both of them can become stronger after this

2025-06-14 12:24

Finally Gtfo and give your spot to someone that actually wants to play and help the team

NAF bro build your own team these guys they dont know bro

Oh no

2025-06-14 12:26

Just leave this clown ass team and you will get back on track Just look a Yeki

yekindar redemption is something that children should learn in school. furia rebuilt in the middle of april and in 2 months they make major playoffs without a worry, with yekindar dropping insane numbers.

2025-06-14 16:14

And if you look at Yekindar’s FPL page, dude was grinding hard with S1mple at the beginning of the year. Definitely a deserved comeback.

2025-06-14 18:45

NRG is waiting for you buddy

2025-06-14 12:30

Its time, yes, but its ok. NAF should take a break, relax for a few months while keep playing and training in his own time, without a team, and after that try to go back on some team that would give him the positions he used to thrive in. He was good for too long, its time to chill a bit.

2025-06-14 12:32

Had a good run, but no way Liquid keeps you if they have goals, sorry bro

2025-06-14 12:31

NaF to complexity

actually good idea

2025-06-14 16:33

It's time for JT to revive another washed NA GOAT

2025-06-14 17:10

Elige was a beast in coL so true dat

2025-06-14 17:40

Hopefully not, it's joever naffers

2025-06-14 12:33

welcome to fluxo

2025-06-14 12:34

but we know...

This guy has stucked in TL since 2018, it's time to change something

i really believe he still has it in him. liquid does not seem like its been the best team environment for a couple years now. hope he gets a fresh start on another team.

2025-06-14 12:35

2025-06-14 12:37

feel bad for the guy. It looks like he needs a good break to get that motivation back. He's been stuck on the same team for years and sometimes a change of environment is best.

dont make excuses for a truly shitty player with a shitty attitude. He always looks like he has the worst life on earth while being on of the luckiest mf on the planet

such a major conclusion after seeing him only in pictures and videos

2025-06-14 17:20

I think everyone will benefit from it, liquid is no longer a place that fits him and he doesn’t fit it. A new home might help him shine again and a player that fits the team more might help it be a contender again

2025-06-14 12:38

Naf is not the problem!!

no he's not - but it's not the right fit for him, time for a new challenge, new environment, new goals, new team

2025-06-14 16:34

He's the problem if he's not fragging. Part of the problem is ultimate being either a god or a shitter. They should replace him too.

2025-06-14 17:12

he doesn't have to retire, he can play in tier 2, but liquid will all the recent roster moves are trying to be a top 5 team at least, they got the pieces in twistzz, nertz and siuhy but with naf playing like that its just not possible, they almost won against mouz yesterday and if naf was just replaced by an average player they would've won 2-0...

2025-06-14 12:41

yeah he can play in complexity or m80 if he wants, but this naf we have today has no business in playing european teams regularly

2025-06-14 12:42

I agree, those teams are decent for him the perfect replacement would be sjuush IMO, such an instant upgrade overall and probably not super expensive like some other top tier anchors

2025-06-14 12:44

-naf +sjuush would be quite sick, i agree. or -naf +teses if your flair decides to do another wonder in roster management

tbf everyone thought the same about yekindar. ik its just one example but i believe the same can happen with naf. ever since nitr0 and elige left, liquid have been through a crazy amount of roster moves without any solid identity.

2025-06-14 12:48

i agree, but i think with yekindar there was bad igl + cosmetic coach situation. they now have a good igl, like top 5 in the world level of good igl, and twistzz is clearly working on improving how constructive is his participation in the team. so in that sense i feel naf's situation is a bit more damning that yekindar's. not having coach though sucks, for everyone - including now. helping players figure out how to play with each other is a big part in what a coach should be doing.

2025-06-14 16:30

Elige back

NAF is Legend, but its time

finally!!

2025-06-14 12:47

Everyone talking shit about him as if he isn't a top 20 greatest player of all time. He will do better leaving this horrid team

top 20 is a big stretch lol, there's 20 better players for sure.

2025-06-14 14:02

Top 3 NA definitely. Top 20 all time though? I really don't think so.

Zoomers forget the goats of 2014. I guess they were in diapers then.

2025-06-15 19:16

JKS died for this

2025-06-14 12:50

Thank god

Naf needs to pull an Elige and go down a tier to regain his confidence

2025-06-14 12:57

For me; the most overrated player on t1 scene

2025-06-14 12:58

frankly, he looks burnt out

2025-06-14 13:00

That's just his default appearance. :S

2025-06-14 13:09

i'm talking about the way he's playing.

2025-06-14 14:39

There is no doubt that you played bad for the last year, but I still believe in you my god. Choose the Yekindar path, move out of your comfort zone and mb join CIS team? Regarding Liquid - just one more rebuild bro, I promise, and things will work out, just one more rebuild with broky and some random obscure t3 anchor

2025-06-14 13:10

broky? i dont think that would be an upgrade if yes then it would be really small, both can do 5 kills in 1 map and then drop 30 bomb on other map :-D inconsistent

2025-06-14 14:03

Broky is a hype man though, exactly what Liquid need

2025-06-14 14:08

oh yeah totally forgot about that aspect, yeah broky will be way better than ultimate

2025-06-14 15:11

hopefully not

2025-06-14 13:02

how did bro fall so hard

2025-06-14 13:04

Welcome to Wildcard, dude obviously fall but still can find a place in tier2

2025-06-14 13:06

thank god kscerato didnt join this team

Sure lol Instead Kscerato and Yuriih are in Furia jail, doomed to win ANYTHING

hopefully

2025-06-14 13:08

one of the most boring player out there

2025-06-14 13:11

but who will replace him? if they want NA core it has to be like jeorge, lake, skullz, JBa etc, if EU core is ok then you have more options

lake would be a big upgrade in naf's current form

2025-06-14 14:41

it would also be clear entry fragger role, but would mean that siuhy nertz or twistzz would anchor then I guess

2025-06-14 14:43

He'll probably end up like Xizt

2025-06-14 13:41

Actually so sad, this guy has been such a rock for 7 years on Liquid, always being one of the best in his positions, even just 1 year ago he was doing fine.

2025-06-14 13:56

Sad time for naffers, what a legend.

2025-06-14 13:57

NAF is a reminder of an almost forgotten era of Liquid, a time when they could compete with better team. This is a bit sad really

I would love to see old liquid back, elige, naf, twistz +2 young talents

2025-06-14 14:28

If he had any dignity he would tell them to get rid of him. Sitting quietly and letting everything burn around you is selfish. JKS and others have lost their job because of him.

2025-06-14 14:34

because of him? XD its because they were trash

2025-06-14 14:42

but he is the worst of them. he is a paycheck stealer now

people said the same about yekindar and now look at him after he left this cursed org :/

2025-06-14 15:01

he just plays a little worse than ax1le

2025-06-14 14:36

He is so bad at this point, he shouldnt have a say in anything and no team should pick him up until he doesnt have a facial pression like people are defecating into his mouth while PLAYING COMPUTER GAMES FOR MONEY. He is so dumb. Get your act together or go work a real job my man. Then you can make this face while doing it

2025-06-14 14:58

No unc, you and ultimate both need to go

i.imgur.com/5ywnQo1.png Brother lacks any self-awareness, he should resign, take a step back and find a different team.

I would hate him as a teammate. Dude is NEVER hyped, never happy, never positive or communicative. He seems like the worst drag

And has zero impact. I mean its started around mid-2024 too, so its not a sudden "shit the bed" situation. Not sure about never tho, I think he used to be somewhat more enthusiastic about the game. Maybe he hates CS 2, we don't really know.

NAF has the strongest brand in the game. The buyout is going to be record-setting.

lmao no

2025-06-14 15:22

You won't.

2025-06-14 15:25

NRG

2025-06-14 15:26

Bad tournament but finding a great anchor is very difficult. Going to be some rough patches. Many trash on mezii but his anchoring skills are superb and it’s hard to find. Liquid should try to get NAF out of this mental patch. Liquid bottle many games they should win. They should figure that out first. Is it something with communication since twistzz came? I’d love to hear the comms. Is siuhy being able to call how he should? Or is twistzz taking over again? Liquid should have stood with elige over twistzz imo

2025-06-14 15:31

Liquid can get Magisk, he is still better than NAF even now.

2025-06-14 15:49

You think so? In terms of recent form sure. I just don’t see it improving liquid and magisk anchoring is sometimes painful to watch since he was at vitality. But maybe just being biased.

They can loan him or something depending on his current contact length. He does mistakes of course, but maybe pressure on Falcons getting to him. He is still performance-wise better than NAF. Difficult to say without knowing other potential options, but picking up Magisk after major is not a bad call.

2025-06-14 16:07

+ magisk is louder and brings more energy if ultimate stays one level headed and chill guy is enough

2025-06-14 16:18

conflicting roles and losing motivation, time for a new start elsewhere

no more NAFFERS

2025-06-14 15:43

No you wont

2025-06-14 15:48

They played like a dead roster until the Mouz game and then NAF still was almost entirely unsuccessful as a lurk. Picked it up on Mirage a bit on CT but this move is probably 4-5 years overdue.

2025-06-14 16:00

NAF needs a break for sure. Bench him for a while or make it so he fits his play again. Really sad to see the downfall of three great riflers in Ax1le, NAF and INZ (even tough the last one decided to sacrifice his skill for his favorite role once again)

2025-06-14 16:08

one of the most consistent players, and people act like its over because he falls off after rolechanges. sure cs2 didnt do him a favor aswell. but seeing how the community reacts is just sad.

It would probably be mutually beneficial for NAF to be benched, as much as it sucks to say. Hopefully he can have a resurgence like Yeki or Elige elsewhere if it does happen. He's been a consistent staple of Liquid for so long that I can understand giving him some or all of next season as a last chance to redeem himself. Hopefully he gets out of this slump whether its with or without Liquid.

2025-06-14 16:29

maybe he can take a break, go to another team and bounce back just like yekindar

One of the best players and personalities in CS. Shame he is experiencing a burnout. Hopefully he returns stronger. Naffers will be waiting

2025-06-14 17:38

BOT is benched soon

2025-06-14 17:45

Lmao you DON'T know Whole hltv knows buddy

2025-06-14 18:03

I hope he somewhere finds his role again and adaption to it, but he can't be screwed over all the time with roll clashes and maybe finding a team where he has none is maybe better but it would be sad to see him go

2025-06-14 18:18

SAD for the sloth

I mean it's definitely time for him to go, he's on the team since I was in bloody 7th grade

2025-06-14 18:29

I will forever be a NAFFER

2025-06-14 18:33

Unfortunately it has to be done, NAF is a legend, I feel really bad for him, but those last performances... He is dragging this team down unfortunately, instead of getting better it seems to only get worse and worse... Really sad but NAFs days in Liquid are probably over, wonder what's next for him, tough situation.

2025-06-14 18:34

No you won't, and I'm not sorry, no sympathy, no excuses, no loyalty bias, NAF has cost us alot this year, and I hope something gets done, to see how far we've fallen since 2019, sickens me, honestly, being a liquid fan should be considered a form of self harm. Good Riddance

2025-06-14 18:46

Sounds like being a Liquid fan suits you with that attitude.

2025-06-15 19:26

Yeah I make no apologies, rosters change every 6 months so you can't hang on what someone did years ago, that goes for twistzz, remains to be seen if the fragger twistzz comes back or if his time as igl destroyed what he used to be, if that's the case, he'll need to go too

2025-06-16 10:34

You misunderstood my comment but it's all good.

2025-06-16 21:22

come what may man you'll still be a legend in my eyes

2025-06-14 18:50

naf has been the worst player on the team for a long time, sad but true, still my goat tho <3 he'll bounce back if he keeps playing, maybe just needs a change of scenery

2025-06-14 18:57

NAF is not Elige or Twistzz no EU team would pick him up. The only reason why TL never cut him is because they can still have a NA spot but if TL is considering EU then NAF is gone. He should also take his buddy ultimate with him.

2025-06-14 19:02