MAJ3R: "Losing Anubis was difficult, but we worked very hard in bootcamp"

Aurora's in-game leader is confident he and his players are warming up after the summer break, although not yet as in shape as they were earlier in the year.

We caught up with Aurora's in-game leader, Engin "⁠MAJ3R⁠" Küpeli, ahead of tonight's BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals draft show, in which the 34-year-old will pick what team he and his teammates want to take on.

"I can imagine what the maps will be in advance," MAJ3R says about the draft. "What will be the first map? What side will I start on? What game plan can I do? I think this is important. Very important."

The French-Turkish in-game leader also spoke about Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş returning to activity and Aurora's start after the summer break, losing Anubis in favor of Overpass, and how the team made a good impression shooting well during their bootcamp in Serbia while revamping their map pool.

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You went to IEM Cologne with a stand-in, now you're here with the full roster, but tell me about the beginning of this season, because you're also dropping out of London. When we look at last season, you played a lot, and that got you going and hot. This season seems like a very different start. How do you think that will affect you later on?

We started the year really well with BLAST in January, and after that we just went to back-to-back tournaments, and like you say, I think that playing a lot of Counter-Strike maybe helped us to be better, but right now, for the second part of the season, I don't know exactly why we skipped London, it was a staff decision.

Maybe also because getting a visa for London is more difficult, but I think we have a lot of tournaments coming so it will be a lot of back-to-back, like we had success to be here today and if we win one match we will go (straight) to EWC and there will be a lot of tournaments, so we will catch up. It will be the same.

We started with xfl0ud instead of XANTARES in Cologne, and we had five or six days to work with him, all of the maps, all of the playbook, so it wasn't easy. I think we did the best we could, and I want to thank him for giving his best during this time for us, and for accepting to stand in during Cologne. But, to be honest, we're not in the same shape as in the first months of the year. We fell down a little, but I think it's normal because there's a break in the middle, and we have to get back our shape and play a lot of Counter-Strike.

We will see, but the staff will make the decisions for what tournament we go to or not, but playing just helped us have our form at the beginning of the year. We'll see in the future, but the schedule will be the same, and if we have to play one tournament or another tournament, we'll play it because now with the VRS, if you miss Cologne or you fail in the tournament, you fall instantly, and other teams can pass you, so the rules is simple: Play as much as you can to start high in the ranking.

XANTARES missed the first tournament this season. He also had some problems with his back last season. What's going on now? Is he here to stay? Is he good?

He's with us for sure, now. Last season, he didn't miss tournaments, but he played with a lot of back problems, and after that, he made the decision to go to the doctor and get it checked. He had to stay one or two months without playing. That's a health decision, and it was very important, but now he's feeling way better and he's here with us.

You came up at the beginning of the year, and you've dipped a bit now, with teams like TYLOO and Astralis coming up. Where do you see Aurora right now?

I will be completely honest with you. When we have the best shape, like last season, I think we can beat any team in the world, but there are some factors in this new season that are not helping us. Like, first of all, removing our best map.

Losing Anubis was difficult, to be honest, but we worked very hard in bootcamp, for like 10 days, on Overpass and other maps, because I really think, as an in-game leader, that one of the issues we faced in not winning trophies last season, like finishing second, was also because of the map pool.

The plan is to really make our map pool way better, make all of the maps like 10% better. If we can do that, I think we will have a chance to lift a trophy, maybe. But I think the team has the same potential as last season. It's been like 14 days of bootcamp in Serbia. We played a lot of Counter-Strike, and I can feel that everyone is shooting good.

It's the same feeling as I had last season, so I'm confident about the future. If we can learn from the mistakes we made last season, I think we can do better this season, but we'll see because there's also the factor of losing Anubis, etc., so we'll do our best, like every time, but I'm confident in my boys and in me, and we'll see.

About this tournament, specifically, it has the draft and all of that. Any thoughts on that process? Any strategies?

I think it's a really good idea. It's different. When it's different, it's good! (Laughs) It's helping us, like the first tournament. We made the final in the first BLAST Bounty, in January, against Spirit. We beat Vitality 2-0 there.

It was the last time they lost before the streak.

It's because I'm half French, so I'm in apEX's mind. (Laughs) I'm joking!

But yeah, BLAST's idea is really good, I think. As a player, I enjoy it. Today, the draft will be live, so I will go with my coach. We have the first pick tonight, also, so I think what is important is not picking the team, but seeing the map pool. What the veto will be, so you can analyze that.

It's very good for me. Like, if I pick Spirit, or another team, I can imagine what the maps will be in advance. What will be the first map? What side will I start on? What game plan can I do? I think this is important. Very important. We'll think about that tonight with my coach, or today, and we'll make the decision tonight.