The semi-final match at BLAST Open Rotterdam concluded with Aurora losing to Team Vitality. Despite a favorable map veto, Aurora was defeated in back-to-back 13-5 games on Inferno and Nuke, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
Following the match, Aurora’s rifler, Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın, discussed the team’s performance, the difference between their preparation and execution, and XANTARES’s current hand injury.
Map Veto Strategy and Match Execution
Before the match, Aurora strategically left their permanent ban, Ancient, in the map pool. This decision prompted Vitality to use their final ban on Ancient.
However, this pre-match advantage did not translate into in-game success, as Vitality secured comfortable victories on both Inferno and Nuke.
I think we couldn’t shoot hard today, and we crumbled under the pressure a bit,” Wicadia stated. “If you do this against Vitality, it’s impossible to win.
Regarding the favorable veto, Wicadia noted the difficulty of translating their preparation into the match itself.
Yes, we prepared [for] these maps exactly. But the things we did in theory, we couldn’t make it in the server.
Player Performances and XANTARES’s Injury
A notable aspect of the series was the performance of Aurora’s star player, XANTARES. Following a strong showing the previous day, he finished the semi-final at the bottom of the scoreboard with a 14-30 kill/death ratio.
Wicadia pointed out that defeating a team like Vitality requires a strong collective effort from the entire roster. He also confirmed that XANTARES is currently dealing with a hand injury that has been affecting his play.
He needs to rest for like six or seven days. But he can’t do it because our schedule is very busy,” Wicadia explained. “After the Draculan LAN, I think he will rest and get back to his old form.
The busy schedule Wicadia referenced includes the upcoming Tier-2 tournament, Draculan Season 6. Aurora is seeded to enter the event early next week, meaning XANTARES will have to delay his necessary recovery period until after the tournament concludes.
Future Outlook
Despite the elimination and recent losses to highly ranked teams like NAVI and Vitality, Wicadia remains positive about Aurora’s overall progression.
I think we are still progressing. We are learning from each tournament and we keep going. So we will watch the game, learn from our mistakes, and let’s go.
Aurora will now shift their immediate focus to the Draculan LAN before prioritizing recovery and addressing their mistakes.
