woxic on taking third place: It's a good thing as long as we can gain something from the tournament.

The left-handed AWPer “hates” third-place deciders, but was happy that the team won the match. Aurora’s international lineup gained another boost of confidence after beating Spirit to finish third at IEM Katowice.

Aurora's 1-2 loss to Vitality yesterday was painful. woxic admitted that having to wake up this morning and play another match left him “feeling a bit rough mentally,” but the win did bring Aurora a large amount of crucial VRS Points. After the victory, Aurora is currently ninth in the live VRS rankings, with a 98.8% chance of securing an invitation to Stage 3 of the Major.

Aurora’s international roster has finally returned to the level of its Turkish lineup. But can they surpass themselves? “Why not?” woxic said. “If we can perform like this at every event, we can go beyond that.”

Q: Congratulations on finishing third. Before the match, you said this game was very important for Aurora. Was that why you beat Spirit today?

A: We just played our own game. We didn’t say, “This is the third-place match, so don’t take it seriously,” or anything like that. We just did our thing and [played] as if we were going to the final, you know? That’s what we did. It was also an important match for us because of VRS and third place with a medal, things like that. I think it’s always good to take at least something away from an event. Winning or losing doesn’t matter.

Q: Does beating a team like Spirit on stage, even in a match like this, provide a big confidence boost?

A: Yeah, we’ve been feeling really confident against strong teams lately because, in the end, it’s always... Even when we lose, the games are close. We just make a few small mistakes and things like that, which is why we lose. So overall, I’m very happy with how we’re playing. Of course, every time you win a match, you gain some confidence.

Q: Yeah. If you had the choice, would you want tournaments to have a third-place match, or is it tough having to play another match after losing in the semifinals?

A: I think it’s difficult. When you wake up knowing you’ve already been eliminated from the event but still have to play the third-place match, it feels bad. It’s a little tough mentally, but it’s our job—that’s just how it is. I actually hate these matches, the third-place deciders, because you have to stay an extra day as if you were playing the final. So it feels a bit rough, but overall, we’re doing what we have to do.

Q: Yeah. Looking at the team as a whole, I mean, this is another... two very good results in a row. Does it feel like the team is building good momentum ahead of the Major and the end of the year?

A: Yes, of course, as long as we keep up our good form. We’re going to Malta for the next event, so if we can get a good result there as well, then of course. Everything is improving constantly. At one event, you improve three things; at the next, you improve five; and at the one after that, you might only improve one thing. So it’s always good to build experience as a team, because compared to the other teams, we’re still a very new team. But since we’re making playoffs and building confidence like this, I think it will help us at the Major.

Q: A few days ago, I saw some people saying they think a Turkish roster—an all-Turkish roster—could have a higher ceiling because you all speak the same language and so on. What do you think about that? Do you think this international roster can still have a higher ceiling, even though you communicate in English?

A: Why not? It’s in our hands. If we can perform at every event the way we did here, we can surpass it. We can surpass the previous roster, but... maybe we’ll never be able to, so you never know.