torzsi: "Even though we won our first event, we knew we were not the big dogs"

torzsi says MOUZ really wanted to play against the likes of Vitality and Spirit at ESL Pro League, to test themselves.

MOUZ enjoyed a fantastic first outing with Lotan "⁠Spinx⁠" Giladi among their number, winning PGL Cluj-Napoca to secure their first trophy since May 2024. That event did not, however, feature the strongest field, unlike ESL Pro League.

Thus far MOUZ have continued their good form in Stockholm, securing a semi-final appearance to earn the chance to play against the current No. 1 team, Spirit. It's a chance they need to make good on as they lost to Vitality earlier in the tournament and were, at times, unconvincing in their quarter-final win over G2.

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MOUZ deny G2 comeback to advance at EPL

"It will be a really good test for us," Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás says of his team's upcoming bout with Spirit. "We won Cluj, but we still don't know for sure where we are, how good we are, or what needs to be improved."

Fresh from his victory over G2, torzsi spoke with HLTV about the hard-earned win, the importance of MOUZ showing a strong mentality, and his own performance thus far in 2025.

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First off, thoughts about that series?

I'm really happy that we won, I think that they are a really strong team. What I would like to highlight is that our mentality was really good. I think on Ancient we played really well, and even though they were coming back because m0NESY was playing good and had his clutches, we kept our head in the game and knew that we were playing good. If you make small mistakes, players like m0NESY will punish that, and he could capitalize on that. But I'm happy that we knew we were doing the right things and kept doing them, and that if we played a little bit better in mid-rounds, everything would be alright.

So on Ancient there was no point where it got tense in the TeamSpeak? You were just chill about it?

No, I think it got tense for sure after those clutches, but I always highlighted after those rounds that I thought we were playing really good, it was a good round, we just needed to keep going and play just a little bit better in the end rounds, play together in the clutches. For example at 11-11, when they rushed B and we ended up in a 1v3 against m0NESY again, I think all of us were 1HP, it was again a really close round, but we managed to close that out. So yeah, that was really important.

Is it important to have a game like that, where your strong mentality gets you through, when MOUZ have this reputation as chokers?

Yeah, I think it is important for us, but it's also important because it justifies what we do. I think it justifies the work we put in, the routines we have as players, what the coaches do and how they work with us. It is justified because we have a strong mentality and even if we lose tough clutches, we can close them down, in close game we come out on top of it, you know? I think these things justify that we are on a good path, so yeah, I would say it is important.

You won PGL Cluj-Napoca, but was it important to follow it up with another good tournament? To prove it wasn't a honeymoon run?

Yeah I would say it was important that we performed here really good, it shows that it was not only a one-time thing. Obviously we didn't expect it to be a one-time thing. Even though we won our first event, we knew we were not the big dogs, like Spirit and Vitality. We really wanted to play versus them, that's why Pro League was really important for us, because we can test ourselves versus the best teams.

We already played Vitality, where we got smoked, they were really sharp to be honest. I don't think we played bad in that game, I think we had good chances, but we were not that sharp on that day, in my opinion. Now we will play versus Spirit, it will be a really good test for us, because as you said, we won Cluj, but we still don't know for sure where we are, how good we are, or what needs to be improved. So I think these games will show it.

Is it nice to have your first test against the big dogs in a studio, where the pressure is off a little bit more?

(laughs).

You know what I mean, it's like a stepping stone. You play a tournament without the big dogs, then you play the big dogs in a studio, then the next time you play them on stage maybe.

I'm not sure what to answer… I think yes, I guess yes? I think it's better to play in a studio, but I actually miss the crowd, because we are in playoffs but we are in a studio. It's okay, I don't mind playing in a studio (laughs), you know?

It feels like recently especially, you've been becoming even more of an impact player for MOUZ. When you're down in rounds, when you're backs are against the wall, you are often the guy stepping up and making plays. Is that just how you are as a player, or do you feel responsibility to do that?

Yeah, I think it is my responsibility to step up when it's needed, but I think the most important thing to know in this team is that we have five players that can step up at all times, and can win a game and carry. I know I will maybe not be the first guy that always carries, because I like to set up my teammates to have a successful game, but mostly I know when we get to the CT sides, I'm an important piece of the team. I really like to shine on these CT sides and do my thing, but I also know what I'm doing on T sides, setting up my teammates or going and getting the trade frags, is also a really important job.

I think, as you said, lately I am getting better, I feel the same way. Especially this year, I am getting better and better with time, and it's nice to see it in the statistics. I think my teammates also feel it, and I get a lot of appreciation from my teammates, it feels pretty good.