MOUZ were eliminated in the lower bracket of StarSeries Fall after losing to FURIA, with xertioN admitting the team was far from playing at the expected level throughout the event. Issues were laid bare, ranging from detailed execution on Cache, the integration of the new lineup, to preparation under a packed schedule. He stated that the entire team needs rest and adjustment, taking lessons from both the leadership and coaching sides, aiming to redeem themselves in the next tournament.
Reporter: Today is the third day of StarSeries Fall. I'm here with MOUZ's xertioN. After your crushing defeat to FURIA in the lower bracket, you've been eliminated. Talk to me about your performance in this event. You started with a loss to NRG, then bounced back against a struggling NAVI, and finally went to three maps against FURIA. How do you evaluate these past few days?
xertioN: Yes, just as you said, we started very weak and slow against NRG. That was definitely an unexpected loss. We put in so much effort, but that match didn't come together at all. We hoped to find our form in the tough matches of the losers' bracket, but whether against NAVI yesterday or FURIA today, I feel we didn't even come close to performing at a B-tier level.
So super disappointed with the way I competed, but at the same time, maybe an early exit now is a good slap in the face, giving us more time to train right now.
Reporter: You've been having a lot of Cache issues here, and struggling a bit on this map. Can you tell me what's going on with this map and where your struggles lie?
xertioN：Well, I think this is a map that really requires players to pay attention to details, especially on the T side. It’s a map where all of us need to activate ourselves in some way and control our respective areas with default map control. I feel like we haven’t achieved that yet.
At the same time, of course, I'm a new IGL and I've never played Cache before, so there's definitely an experience factor involved too. I think our coach has done a great job trying to teach us how to play this map. I feel we're still fairly confident in our approach to it, but we haven't been able to execute properly in matches.
Reporter: Yes, also talk to me about the new players and how they're fitting in, because I spoke with torzsi, and he mentioned you were fine-tuning with PR—like when he needs to step up more as part of the team to help break through, or when you take the lead on breaking through. How did you figure out these role differences and adjustments to the team structure?
xertioN: Yes, of course. I think it's always difficult to find the balance between giving too much advice to a young player. You also want him to feel confident and comfortable. At the same time, xelex and PR also have to take some steps to reach the level of our more experienced players on the team. But still, I think everyone did extremely well. I'm super proud of the effort we put in.
Unfortunately, perhaps everyone looked a bit flat in this tournament. I can take a lot of responsibility, and I feel we could have prepared better for this event. And yes, overall, I think we needed a few days off. There have been too many tournaments recently, and with two new players, the pressure also increases when we start winning or pushing for titles. Yes, I feel we need to find how this balance works within the team.
Reporter: Today against FURIA, who were slightly behind you on VRS, considered a team chasing the top-tier teams. How did it feel to lose to such a team?
xertioN: Yeah, it feels terrible, but not because we lost to FURIA. I think they are a great team. Maybe they aren't the most consistent right now, but when they are on, they play really well, and today they definitely had control in certain moments. To be honest, I feel we didn't bring our A-game, like I said, we never really showed the true ceiling of MOUZ in this tournament. Don't dwell on it—it's just that we weren't mentally present at StarSeries Barcelona.
Reporter: Why do you think that is?
xertioN: I think it's perhaps because of a lack of training. I feel this took us out of our rhythm. We need to look back, maybe we had too many rest days before entering the tournament, or maybe it was just right, because before that we were basically competing abroad for four consecutive weeks. So it's a bit hard to manage, but we'll take some lessons from the IGL and coaching levels. Yes, we'll do better next time.
Reporter: So what's next? How will you manage the schedule? Do you have any plans for what's ahead? Will you take some time off now? Will there be a reset? Will it be used for training? What will you do next?
xertioN：We don't know yet, but we'll definitely do our best to give ourselves the best chance in the next tournament.