Tomorrow at the Ahoy Arena, Aurora faces a daunting hurdle. In the playoffs of BLAST Open Rotterdam, the team will go up against The MongolZ, a squad they have lost to in their last five meetings. For Aurora’s in-game leader Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli, this historically troublesome matchup is more than just a playoff series. It will serve as the perfect stress test for the team’s newly implemented focus on mental resilience.
While Aurora has consistently reached the playoff stages of tournaments over the past year, the championship trophy continues to elude them. Fans and analysts constantly demand more, but MAJ3R believes the missing piece to finally lifting a trophy is not firepower. It is mental fortitude.
The Championship Plateau
Reflecting on the season so far, MAJ3R offers a pragmatic assessment of Aurora’s position. He acknowledges that they are a highly capable team, but they currently sit in a chasing pack of five or six rosters just below the absolute pinnacle of Counter-Strike.
I think where we are is very good, to be honest, MAJ3R stated. Are we capable of winning a championship? I’m 100% sure that we can. But we also need to be realistic in the fact that every green light needs to be on to be successful and win against a team like Vitality.
Closing the psychological gap
When asked about the most important thing Aurora has worked on in 2026, MAJ3R’s answer was immediate and clear: mental strength.
The veteran captain candidly admitted that psychological hurdles held the team back last year. He pointed directly to this mental gap as the primary reason tournament favorites like Vitality currently dominate the scene. The toll of consistent but ultimately title-less playoff runs requires a resilient mindset to overcome.
It’s been a problem last year. That’s why we’re trying to fix that, MAJ3R explained. “I think that’s why Vitality is very strong and the best team in the world, because mentally they are way stronger than other teams here in Rotterdam.
See the full interview with the Turkish IGL down below.
