We had the chance to speak with CS2 rising talent from Kosovo — Drin " makazze " Shaqiri. makazze opened up about his journey to the main Natus Vincere roster, his adaptation process, and the team’s preparation for IEM Cologne 2025. He also shared his thoughts on the recent changes to the competitive map pool, revealed how he mentally prepares for official matches, and confidently stated that he believes he can secure his place in NAVI.

Tell us how you started playing CS. Who introduced you to the game? What was that like?
I started to play CS 1.6 from 4 years old. My brother taught me how to play CS 1.6, so from that time I didn't stop playing anymore.

At what point did you realize you wanted to become a professional player?
When I join FPL-C.

Tell us more about your path to the pro scene. How did you join your first mix teams? How was the KS team formed?
I was grinding FPL-C a lot, and there were a lot of players from Kosovo. gejmzilla texted me and said, "Are you interested to play a mix tournament?" After it went well, we created the KS team.

How did your transfer to NaVi Junior go? Tell us about that period. Were there any tryouts, or were you immediately offered a contract?
Hm, it was a tryout. There were 20-30 players. It was a 2-3 week tryout. On the last day, I got accepted into NaVi Junior .

Which of the world’s top riflers do you look up to? Do you have any idols?
I don't have anyone.

How would you describe your own playstyle in CS?
Monkey style.

What do you think about Valve’s decision to replace Anubis with Overpass in the competitive map pool? Are you ready to play Overpass?
Yes, for me Anubis was a shit map, so I didn't care that much. And yeah, I'm ready for Overpass.

Over the past six months, not only have you improved, but the entire NaVi Junior team has progressed as well. Which of your teammates would you highlight?
Yeah, everyone worked hard the past six months. Tbh, I would say all the team: dziugss , Dem0N , krabeni , cmtry , and also coach coolio .

What does winning YaLLa Compass Qatar and the string of victories at the CCT tournaments mean to you?
Tbh, YaLLa Compass meant a lot to me because of the prize pool, but all tournaments are good for progress as a player.

Did you feel at the end of last season that you had outgrown NaVi Junior and needed a new challenge?
Yes, I was feeling it when we won YaLLa Compass.

What does it mean to you to be part of such a legendary tag as NAVI?
This means a lot. Now I have only to show what I'm capable of.

In NAVI’s main roster, you replaced jL . How did you take that news? What was your reaction?
Amiran [ami] called me, and he told me the news. It was a normal reaction tbh. I knew that sooner or later I was gonna be part of NAVI.

Are you confident you can replicate b1t ’s success and secure your spot in the main roster after going through the NAVI academy? Previously, npl attempted that and didn’t succeed.
Yeah, ofc I'm confident. Not gonna say a lot of things — I'm just gonna let time show.

Have you taken over the same roles and positions on the maps that jL played, or did the team have to restructure?
I don't want to tell. Just be ready for IEM Cologne.

How did the first practices with the main roster go? With which players have you already built a connection?
First pracc went good. Hm... with Aleksib and iM , I would say.

Do you feel nervous being around players who have already written their names in CS history?
Not really. Let's see in the server.

Have you had any one-on-one talks with B1ad3 yet? Any advice or recommendations from him?
Yeah, we had. He's helping me a lot as an individ — how to feel more comfortable and this stuff.

Your first tournament with NAVI’s main roster will be IEM Cologne. What individual goals are you setting for yourself at the event? Maybe a minimum rating? Or is the team result the main priority and individual performance secondary?
Nah, I don't look at rating/kills. Minimum — playoffs.

How is the team preparing for IEM Cologne overall? What are you working on?
We're working hard for IEM Cologne, even though we have a 2-week bootcamp — on mistakes/communication.

Have you already started playing scrims? If you can share — who are you practicing with? What’s the winrate?
Winrate is 100%!

How do you personally prepare for matches? Do you have any specific rituals or habits — like listening to music, watching funny videos, and so on?
I listen Albania music. Gangsta music 😜

How ready are you for media activity — streams, interacting with fans, interviews? Some players enjoy that, others do it only when it’s required.
I'm ready for everything. I'm kinda shy also, but I will try to do as much as I can.

How closely do you follow what people write about you and the team on social media? Does it affect you in any way — positively or negatively?
I don't even watch, tbh, what people talk about me — negatively or positively — only if some of my friends send it to me.

How would you assess the current competitiveness of the CS2 pro scene? It seems like it’s the most competitive it has ever been.
Yeah, it's the most competitive it has ever been. Excited to see this season.

Who do you think are the top 3 teams in the world right now? And how far behind is NAVI from that trio?
1. Vitality 2. Mouz 3. The MongolZ . Hm, I think we just gonna need a little bit of time, and we will be really close 😀

What would you like to say to NAVI fans who are waiting for your debut in official matches?
I wanna say that keep supporting us, and just be ready for NAVI ERAAAA!!