S1ren: The experience we've gained over the past six months should help us deal with the playoffs

BETBOOM defeated BIG, Astralis, and MIBR 2-0 in succession during the FISSURE Playground S3 group stage, securing first place in the group with a perfect record and advancing directly to the tournament semifinals.

After defeating MIBR, S1ren spoke to HLTV about the team's performance in the group stage, their confidence when facing stronger opponents, and their plans to compete in several European events in a row. He said that BETBOOM currently sees FISSURE Playground S3 as an important “warm-up” and hopes to use it to build confidence for the schedule ahead.

Q: S1ren, you've won three straight matches in the group stage and have now advanced to the semifinals. How would you evaluate your team's performance in this tournament so far?

S1ren: Overall, after the 2026 Esports World Cup ended, we spent a lot of time improving our individual performance, including gaining a better understanding of the matches, the overall macro game, and things like that.

I think all those efforts are starting to pay off now, that's basically it.

Q: Can you talk in detail about these matches? From your perspective, how did each of them go?

S1ren: To be honest, the teams in this tournament weren’t so strong that we felt we might miss the playoffs, but of course we’re still very happy that we were able to make it through smoothly.

Overall, the match against BIG felt fairly easy. Although the scores made a few of the maps look pretty close, the series itself went very smoothly. We were in control the whole time and stayed in the stronger position throughout the series, never letting any situation slip out of our hands.

When playing against Astralis, it was obviously much harder, and you could also feel some nerves. Historically, we had never beaten a team with the Astralis logo before.

So overall, it was quite a tough match, but in my personal opinion, it actually should have been a bit easier.

As for today’s match against MIBR, we were fairly confident on the first map, which was their map pick, though we were a bit shaky on the CT side. Once we got to the T side, we closed out the match much more cleanly and with a lot less pressure.

Anubis was our map pick, and that map was pretty tough for us. We had played scrims against them before, so we knew their Anubis was very strong, but it was still the most ideal map pick for us, so in the end we decided to pick it anyway.

Overall, the match was very difficult, but we still managed to grind it out little by little.

Q: Will this kind of performance in the group stage give you more confidence going into the playoffs and help you maintain your good form?

S1ren: I actually don't think how you play in the group stage directly determines how you'll perform in the playoffs.

A few months ago, we also competed in XPL in Guangzhou, China, and back then we likewise advanced from the group stage with a 3-0 record. But after entering the playoffs, we were beaten by FaZe 13-2 in two straight maps.

So I think when facing the playoffs, you still need to stay clear-headed and treat it like the next ordinary match. Don’t dwell on the previous results, and just keep playing your own game like you did in the group stage.

Q: When facing top-level opponents like FURIA, G2, and Legacy, are you confident you can compete with them?

S1ren: If you only look at scrims, I think we definitely have what it takes to compete with them.

But as everyone knows, official matches are a completely different matter, and the playoffs will also be played on stage in front of an audience, so I think that will definitely affect us.

But over the past six months, we've made it to the playoffs multiple times and played quite a few matches on stage.So I think the experience we've built up during this period should help us overall.

Q: You still have several top-tier events coming up, and your opponents will only get stronger. Will you treat this tournament as an important opportunity to earn points and even contend for the title?

S1ren: Of course, one hundred percent. We’re basically treating this tournament as a warm-up.

Because in about 20 days, we’ll begin a long European tour and compete in three consecutive S-tier events.

So overall, this tournament is preparation for the marathon stretch of matches that comes afterward. We hope to build more confidence here and then deliver strong results in those competitions.

Q: You weren't able to participate in the Major before. What was that experience like for you?

S1ren: During that time, it was really, really hard on me mentally.

I only found out the day before my teammates left for the Major that I wouldn't be able to go , because my visa ultimately didn't come through.

It was definitely tough mentally. So during that short break, I tried my best to relax and reset my condition. I also went to a concert and took the chance to rest and catch my breath, so I could build up my energy again for the upcoming matches.

Q: Did it work? Were you able to recover your form? During that time, did it make you rethink your matches or make any changes?

S1ren: I think I’ve always known which areas I needed to improve. Maybe even back then, I already understood what I needed to work on, both as a person and as a player.

I don't think this break itself suddenly made me realize these things. Whether during the competition season or the offseason, I would have gradually come to these conclusions on my own.

This break mostly just gave me a chance to catch my breath and recharge a bit.But missing the Major was definitely very tough mentally.

Q: It hasn’t become any easier for Russian citizens to apply for a Schengen visa now. I’m not sure how much you can share, but what is your current visa situation?

S1ren: I probably can't say too much about the specifics.

But I can say that we've already found a long-term solution. Overall, there shouldn't be any more visa-related issues in the future.