Since EWC—where kyxsan felt the team had underperformed—Aurora took a few days to rest before heading to Copenhagen for the BLAST Open. Overall, kyxsan is satisfied with the team's performance this season, and Aurora's ambitions remain high.
kyxsan: We haven't set a specific performance target or any rigid timeline. Our current VRS ranking isn't high, so we must participate in as many tournaments as possible, aiming to secure more wins and points. We don't have a concrete goal, but I believe this team is truly talented with immense potential. Therefore, we have high expectations for every tournament we enter. This might sound a bit exaggerated, but if we perform well in the coming months—even winning one or two championships—it wouldn't surprise me. Of course, it's still early to say this since we're a new team, but the potential is definitely there. Aurora itself is an established team; although it's now an international roster, it still retains the core framework of the previous team. So, yes, I believe we can achieve some great results this season.
ash gave me trust, zonic taught me to fear no one
After transferring from Falcons to Aurora, kyxsan worked with former GamerLegion coach ash for the first time. He spoke highly of the new coach, saying that he is not only tactically excellent but also knows how to work well with players.
kyxsan：He's an exceptional coach who aids the team in numerous ways. He excels strategically and possesses a profound understanding of the game. He also knows how to interact effectively with players. For instance, if he notices a player struggling or feeling down during a match, or if something is amiss, he knows how to communicate with those players facing difficulties. He always finds a way to help them perform better. From the first time I met him, he placed his trust in me, allowing me to take on the role of shot-caller and handle most of the in-game decisions. This trust has been immensely important to me. For a shot-caller, trust is absolutely crucial.
Comparing zonic and ash: different styles, each with its own focus
kyxsan has played under zonic for over a year and a half. When asked to compare the two coaches, he stated that their styles are completely different.
kyxsan: zonic is really good at making the team feel like 'family', while ash's strength lies in his technical understanding of the game and his ability to help the players. Each coach has their main focus - some are more about the game itself, some are more about team building and bringing everyone closer together. zonic is excellent at leading the team and making us a true collective team. ash's biggest strength is his understanding of the game, but like I said, he also knows how to work with players. So not just on the game level, he's great in many ways. So far, I'm really impressed with him.
From Falcons to Aurora: Trust and Execution
kyxsan also spoke about the different experiences of implementing his tactical system in the two teams. At Aurora, the players gave him full trust; while at Falcons, the situation was more complex.
kyxsan：At Falcons, pushing my own ideas was definitely more difficult. That team had more experienced players, who could also be considered bigger stars. So naturally, some of them had their own views on how far we could go, and when things didn't go well, we had many discussions. At Aurora, it's still early days, but the goal from the start was to build the system I wanted to play. So far, I've been given that trust, and if things don't work out, we'll communicate again, perhaps making some adjustments in the future.
What I learned from zonic and Lars Robl
When asked what he learned during his time with Falcons from sports psychologist Lars Robl and coach zonic, kyxsan shared two key insights.
Regarding zonic, he specifically mentioned how the Danish coach used his experience from his time at Astralis to help the team face strong opponents.
kyxsan：For example, when we were at Falcons, we often played against Vitality during their dominant period. zonic helped us understand that we didn’t need to respect everyone on the opposing team; instead, we just needed to focus on ourselves, regardless of who the opponent was. If you enter a match with fear or doubt, you will always lose. He had the experience from the Astralis era because he was on the other side back then—he was part of that dominant team. He always said that opponents used to play against them with fear. That was one of the main reasons they won so much—if you enter a CS match with fear, you can’t perform at your best.
Regarding Lars Robl, kyxsan mentioned that he helped him develop his own identity as a player.
kyxsan: I had many conversations with Lars, and he helped me understand something—I must be myself. I was never fond of the idea of watching how this leader or that leader does things and just following suit, but he helped me see that more clearly. He tried to help me establish my own identity, to find my own style both on and off the field as a captain.