Aurora's international lineup had a slow start but they are beginning to power up, and have already secured a top four finish at ESL Pro League.
When Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski joined, improving the team's mentality was one of the first items on his in tray. And, slowly, progress is being shown.
"There are still some games where I would say our mentality is not the best," kyxsan told HLTV in the arena. "But I can also say that it's so much better compared to two months ago. It's something that we are working on every day. "
The 26-year-old also spoke to HLTV about his relationship with Ashley "ash" Battye, and his ability to respond to feedback after some public criticism from Nikola "NiKo" Kovač.
Listen to the interview here.
Okay, kyxsan, congratulations. What was it like, first arena game with this team?
It felt good. I would say that it was a hard game. Maybe it was not the highest level of opponent. I'm not taking anything away from them, but they are not at the level of Spirit, Vitality, and those kind of teams, but it was still hard and I could feel that we were a bit nervous, and I feel like we didn't play our A game, but we did enough to beat them.
How is it coming in today as a favorite? Will it really help you guys tomorrow against a bigger team?
It is different when you're a favorite because the pressure is higher and you kind of expect yourself to win. I still don't know who we will face tomorrow, but if it's Vitality, I guess it will be an easier game in a way because we're not favorites. I think the pressure will be on them, but it will still be a really hard game because they're still the best team in the world.
And a few months into this team now, do you feel like it's really clicking in terms of getting your system into what was already there?
Yeah, of course. I think we're improving a lot and now that we had some more time, I'm able to implement the way I want to play. I think everyone likes the way we're playing, and everyone's feeling comfortable right now, so it's just about keeping it up and upgrading it in a way, updating it.
And how's it coming along with ash? How differently do you see the game? Is it coming along nicely?
I'm really surprised by ash. I think our connection is really good. He's doing a really good job preparing the team. He's doing a lot inside the game things, so mostly on the CT side, but also he's giving me some tips on the T side. And also he is good in kind of bringing the team together and making sure we have good mentality in these important games.
Tell me about this mentality that's kind of... Because that was always a big thing for the Turkish Aurora team, and it feels like it is coming along now. How is it feeling for you?
It is a small issue still, I would say. There are still some games where I would say our mentality is not the best, but I can also say that it's so much better compared to two months ago. It's something that we are working on every day, I would say, and yeah, we should just keep trying to improve it because I think this is one of the things that maybe stopping us sometimes to play better.
XANTARES, and woxic, especially, when you're filming the team for social media or something, there's still those moments of tilt sometimes. How do you change players who are this experienced? Is it possible to change mentality so late in their career?
I think it is. Maybe XANTARES is a bit older than the rest, but he still loves the game so much. He cares, and he's trying to do everything to improve. He's playing a lot, and we are trying to work together and find a way that will work for everyone, and I think he's happy to work on these things and improve.
Okay. And just my last question, I did want to ask you about the NiKo quotes, where he said basically something about [handling] feedback. I don't know if you've seen the comments. Have you seen them?
I saw some.
Did you think that was fair? Have you brought anything from Falcons to [how you lead] this team, like feedback from the team, feedback from the coach, or whatever?
I don't think it's fair what he said because maybe what he said was true, but that was for the last month or two. But he didn't mention the first year and everything that was happening the first year, so I think it's taken a little bit out of context because it's not the full story of what was happening in Falcons.
But I don't really care too much. I'm always open to feedback and, you know, I was also in Falcons, I'm also here and, you know, when you play with so many experienced and good players, you can learn from every one of them, so I'm happy to be learning from all of my ex-teammates and current teammates and just improve.
Nikola 'NiKo' KovačPast 3 months
Damjan 'kyxsan' StoilkovskiPast 3 months
Ashley 'ash' Battye
Aurora
Ismailcan 'XANTARES' Dörtkardeş
Özgür 'woxic' Eker
Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo
Damjan 'kyxsan' Stoilkovski
Ali 'Wicadia' Haydar Yalçın
Ashley 'ash' Battye