Wicadia: Our record against NAVI hasn't been good, so this victory is a huge relief

Aurora beat NAVI in their opening match at StarSeries Fall 2026, securing one of the most significant wins since putting together this new lineup. Over the previous year, they had lost to NAVI four times, though the team was still playing with its full Turkish roster back then.

“After the roster changes, there were times when we actually played some good CS, but we just couldn’t close out the matches.”Wicadia said in a post-match interview with HLTV. “We had already come very close to beating FURIA and G2 before. So coming here and finally getting a win, especially against NAVI, is really important for us.”

Aurora will next face NRG, who just upset MOUZ, in the winners' bracket semifinal. Wicadia also said the team absolutely cannot underestimate this opponent.

Q: We're now at StarSeries Fall 2026, and Aurora have just beaten NAVI. It might also be the first truly big win since the new roster came together. What does it feel like to beat a team like NAVI?

Wicadia: I think that after the roster change, we did play some good CS at times, but we just couldn't close out the matches.

Before this, when we played FURIA and G2, we were already very close to winning. So coming here and getting our first important win—especially against NAVI—really means a lot to us.

Our record against them hasn't been very good, so this really feels like a weight off our shoulders, and we're very happy.

Q: The last time you beat NAVI was probably back when you were still on Eternal Fire, before Aurora even existed for you. So not only has this international lineup finally gotten a win, it also came against NAVI. How does that feel?

Wicadia: In those big matches in the past — finals, quarter-finals, and the like — we basically lost every time we ran into them.

So right now, it feels really good.

Q: This new lineup has been together for two or three months now. How is the team gelling at the moment, and what kind of changes are happening within the team?

Wicadia: I think we're getting more used to each other every day.

We have players from four or five different countries on the team, so it will definitely take time to reach our best level. But I think we're getting better every day.

Q: Specifically, what areas do you think are improving?

Wicadia: We just keep playing matches, identify problems, fix them, and keep working. That's pretty much it.

Q: So how do you see this team's potential? What level do you think you can ultimately reach?

Wicadia: I don't want to talk too big.

But I think if we keep working hard, we can become one of the teams in contention for the title.

Q: How has the adjustment been from your old all-Turkish lineup to the current international roster? Especially now that you may have to go through more struggles and don't have the same momentum as before.

Wicadia: I actually talked about this recently, but some people misunderstood what I meant.

Everyone on the team speaks English well, so we have no problems communicating in our day-to-day routine.

Speaking for myself, I spent the last four years playing on Turkish teams, and the others were in Turkish teams for even longer.

So sometimes, when we get into the mid-round, it can be pretty difficult to call certain things on the fly in English. But like I said before, we're improving every day.

Q: I’ve heard XANTARES talk about this before as well. His English has clearly improved a lot, and he’s very active in communication now. How do you feel about your team’s communication at the moment? What obvious improvements have there been?

Wicadia: I think wins like this are really important for us, and so is building confidence, because that’s how we keep improving.

But I can say that everyone's English is already very good, and it will definitely keep getting better.

Q: In a previous interview, Jimpphat mentioned that sometimes you were really “beating yourselves,” and said the team needed to improve its mentality during matches. Have you made any adjustments recently to address that issue?

Wicadia: Of course.

The mental side has always been one of our weaknesses, but I think we're improving on that now.

Q: How exactly did you improve?

Wicadia: We'll talk about these things.

In matches, we also try to stay as calm as possible.

I think a lot of things still come down to us. Everyone needs to improve individually.

Q: So everyone needs to be responsible for their own mental state?

Wicadia: Of course. Everyone has a different mindset, and I think each person needs to work on improving it themselves.

Q: You've already beaten NAVI here and picked up your first big win. What goals does Aurora have next? What do you most want to achieve?

Wicadia: Next up, we play NRG.

I think every team here is really strong, so we have to take it one match at a time.

For now, we'll focus on preparing for NRG and then see what happens after that.

Q: What do you think about this match against NRG?

Wicadia: will be difficult.

I think we definitely can't underestimate them, because they just beat MOUZ, and I think they're a very strong team.