kyxsan: Aurora’s mentality has improved ahead of ESL Pro League semifinals

Aurora’s international CS2 roster has recovered from a slow beginning and reached the top four at ESL Pro League. In-game leader Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski said the team still feels pressure in arena matches, but managed to win its opening game despite nerves and without producing its best performance.

The 26-year-old believes Aurora’s system is becoming clearer after several months together. He said the players are comfortable with his approach, while coach Ashley “ash” Battye has helped prepare the team, particularly on the CT side, supported T-side ideas and worked to keep the group united during important matches.

Mentality remains an area of focus, although kyxsan said it is much stronger than two months ago. He also believes experienced players such as XANTARES and woxic can continue improving. Responding to Nikola “NiKo” Kovač’s criticism of his ability to accept feedback, kyxsan said the comments covered only the final month or two at Falcons and left out the wider context of his first year there. He added that playing alongside experienced teammates has always given him opportunities to learn.

ColdMath take

Aurora enter the next stage with a more settled system and improved team mentality. Their semifinal opponent is not yet confirmed; a meeting with Vitality would bring less favorite pressure, but kyxsan still expects an extremely difficult match against the world’s best team.