xertioN: Losing to FURIA feels awful; we weren’t able to show the ceiling of this MOUZ lineup

MOUZ were eliminated from the lower bracket at StarSeries Fall after falling to FURIA, and xertioN admitted the team was far from its expected level throughout the run. From the details of their execution on Cache, to the new lineup still needing time to gel, to preparation under a packed schedule, their issues all came to the surface. He said the team needs time to rest and reset, take lessons from the IGL and coaching side, and work to prove themselves again at the next event.

Reporter: Today is day three of StarSeries Fall. I'm joined by MOUZ's xertioN. After a heavy loss to FURIA in the lower bracket, you have been eliminated. Talk me through your performance at this event. You started with a loss to NRG, then bounced back against a NAVI side that was also struggling a bit, before going the full three maps against FURIA. How do you look back on these past few days?

xertioN: Yes, like you said, we started very weak and very slow against NRG. That was definitely a loss we didn’t expect. We put in so much work, but we never really showed it in that match. We hoped we could find our form through the grind in the lower bracket, but whether it was yesterday against NAVI or today against FURIA, I feel like we didn’t even put up anything close to a B-level performance.

So I’m super disappointed with the way we played, but at the same time, maybe going out early now is a good slap in the face and gives us more time to practice.

Interviewer: You played a lot of Cache here, and you seemed to struggle on it a bit. Can you tell me what was going wrong on that map and where you were struggling?

xertioN: Yeah, I think this is a map where players really need to pay attention to the details, especially on the T side. It’s a map where all of us need to be switched on in our own way and control our areas while defaulting. I don’t think we’ve managed to do that yet.

At the same time, of course, I’m a new IGL, and I’d never played Cache before, so experience was definitely a factor as well. I think our coach has done a really good job trying to teach us how to play the map. I still think we’re pretty confident in our ideas on it, but we just haven’t been able to execute them properly in matches yet.

Reporter: Right. Talk to me about the new players as well, and how they’re fitting in. I spoke with torzsi, and he told me you’ve been fine-tuning things with PR — like when he needs to be more involved with the team and help with entry fragging, or when you’re the one going for entry fragging. How are you figuring out those role differences and the changes to the team structure?

xertioN: Yes, of course. I think it’s always hard to find the right balance when it comes to giving a young player too much input. You also want him to feel confident and comfortable. At the same time, xelex and PR also have to take steps forward to reach the level of the more experienced players on our team. Still, I think everyone is doing really well. I’m super proud of the work we’re putting in.

Unfortunately, maybe everyone looked a bit flat at this event. I can take a lot of responsibility; I feel like we could have done a better job preparing for this tournament. And yeah, overall I think we need a few days off. There have been too many events recently, and with two new players, the pressure also gets bigger when we start winning or contending for titles. So yeah, I think we have to figure out how that balance works within the team.

Interviewer: Today you played against FURIA. They’re slightly behind you in the VRS and are one of the teams chasing the top sides. How does it feel to lose a match to a team like that?

xertioN: Yes, it feels terrible, but not because we lost to FURIA. I think they’re a great team. Maybe they’re not the most consistent right now, but when they’re on, I think they play really well, and today they definitely took control of the game at certain points. Honestly, I don’t think we played at our A level. Like I said, we never really showed the ceiling we know MOUZ have at this event. There’s no need to overthink it — mentally, we just weren’t there at StarSeries Barcelona.

Interviewer: Why do you think that was?

xertioN: I think maybe it came down to a lack of practice. I feel like that knocked us out of rhythm. We have to look back at it — maybe we had too many days off before coming into the event, or maybe it was just the way it worked out, because before that we had basically been on the road competing for four straight weeks. So it was a bit hard to manage, but we’ll take some lessons from the IGL and coaching side. Yeah, we’ll do better next time.

Interviewer: So what happens next? How are you going to manage the schedule? Do you know what you have coming up? Are you going to take a bit of a break now? Reset? Use the time to practice? What’s next for you guys?

xertioN: We still don't know yet, but we'll definitely do everything we can to give ourselves the best possible chance at the next event.