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The player who never shined as brightly as he could

Tier one CS is finally back, and NAVI might be back with it. G2 certainly aren’t back, though, as they find themselves in the 0-2 bracket after two days of play over in Poland.
We’ve also got an interview with Kursy from btram’s time at a small LAN in Poland, whilst AN1MO points out the least talked about problem in tier one CS today.

How was it playing on stage with fans in the crowd?
It is not something we are doing a lot, so we were trying not to focus on it, but it was really great. The environment was different from what we usually have to play in, but it was really great.
What's the biggest thing that you learned from your time in GamerLegion?
I learned that you have to be someone, you have to prove yourself and be yourself. You must show your identity and develop it, then show why you are on the team. I think that's something I didn't do. You have to not fear or try to be someone else, that's what I think I did.
Would you say being a rifler makes it easier to be the true kursy?
I don't think so, I think I can be good with the AWP and rifle also. It's more about the mentality I had, it's something I've tried to fix again now. Sometimes I lose a bit of identity and I instantly try to get it back, it's something I work on a bit. I think you have to work on this every time to show yourself.
Is it easier to communicate in a French lineup than it was in an English speaking lineup?
It can be easier but it can also be difficult because you add more things. You talk a lot more, there's a lot of information compared to English. In English we tried to use small words. In French we are talking a lot after the game and in the game, it's really cool. In GamerLegion the players were my friends but in French it's more like a family. I don't think it's always easier, but it helps sometimes.
What's the difference between the coaching styles of ash and wasiNk?
I don't really know because I'm not an AWPer with wasiNk, so I cannot really say something about it. I don't really see a big difference, they have their own approach to the game. They're both making plans and trusting them, that's the job of a coach. They try to give you confidence. I think wasiNk is trying to give me a lot of confidence. Maybe that's because he's French as well.
Is one coach more focused on man management and one coach more focused on tactics?
No, wasiNk is doing a lot of tactics and a lot of preparation. He's trying to fix every macro mistake, and he's working with me everyday to fix mistakes. I don't see a lot of difference, they both have their own approach.
There's been a big improvement on your CT sides since the beginning of the year. What clicked for you on the defence?
I cannot say what we changed, but it's all about the mentality. I know we were doing a lot of little things, like micro adjustments on the game. We are talking a lot more together and trying to do stuff together. We're trying to create stuff together, but before that we were playing more passive. It's not about going for more plays, it's about looking for more info and moving more together when we need. We try to mix between passive and aggressive.
What would you like to achieve in your career?
My goals are that I want to be the best. I don't compare myself to donk or whatever, they are multiple steps above me. I want to be the best version of myself every time I play. I don't try to compare myself to others, I just want to be better everyday and fix mistakes. I want to be stable, good on the rifle, and someone that can make plays whilst helping the team win more. Of course, I want to win every time too, on FACEIT and tournament games. I don't tell myself I want to win three Majors, I don't care, I just want to win.

You know what pro players do? Play a lot of CS. You know where they do it? Community servers.
At least we think they do. They don’t really talk to us.
Either way, we play on them a lot over at Wideswing, and we’re all A) cracked at the game and B) so incredibly knowledgeable at the game that you spend your time reading our opinions on it. So, if you’d like to at least be like us, get on Wideswing for Deathmatch, Retakes, 1v1s, and stop playing on whatever sh-t you currently use.
You trust us for everything else, so trust us with this, too.

NAVI are back. Maybe. Probably not.
They did beat G2, though, although they seem to be - once again - absolute rubbish.
G2 lost in absolutely embarassing fashion to NAVI, with huNter- having his lowest-ever rated CS2 map during the series, they then lost to 1win, so we’ll be adding nafany to the list of IGLs better than huNter-. Because we love to beat a dead horse.
As for NAVI, they lost in their 1-0 game, but it was to Vitality, and they did take a map off them, so there’s still some hope that we might get something out of their roster before it’s inevitably blown up over Winter.
First, though, they’ll have to overcome 9z, which isn’t as easy of a task as it sounds.
Vitality are joined in the 2-0 bracket by - you guessed it - Team Spirit, Falcons, and a MOUZ team that got an all-too-easy win over FURIA. Not that beating the Brazilians is particularly hard nowadays.
Down in the 0-2 doldrums with G2 are M80, who will face TYLOO, and Shinden, who we know precisely nothing about and would very much like to keep it that way.
Finally, in the 1-1 games, PARIVISION will take on FURIA having beaten an arT-less Legacy in their opener and falling to Spirit in their second game. We’l,l then have the aforementioned NAVI vs 9z, Legacy vs 1win, and Aurora vs BetBoom.
Oh, Pro League, you do give us a load of sh-t.

In many ways, XANTARES is a legend of the game. He may not have won as much as he should have, but he put Turkish CS on the map, and his commitment to his country over personal glory is something we can commend.
However.
XANTARES in 2026 is not the XANTARES that first propelled Space Soldiers, and later Eternal Fire, to the top levels of Counter-Strike. No, XANTARES in 2026 is much more akin to GeT_RiGhT in 2018, or, for the newer folk, jcobbb in FaZe.
Sadly, the crisp aim has left him. The XANTARES peek group is emptying out, and so is the man himself’s kills column.
In the last three months, XANTARES has a 0.89 rating against top 30 teams on LAN, and even if he wasn’t in the positions he’s in, that would be awful for any player on a team that’s trying to be elite.
The logical conclusion then, unfortunately, is that Aurora are going to have to look past the iconic Turkish star.
Good luck getting that one past the Turkish fans.
It’s sad, given that it means the Turkish flag will almost certainly have to fade away from the top levels of CS, but such is the circle of life. At least it’s not like losing Sweden, Denmark, of France - they actually achieved something.
Who Aurora could get instead is anyone’s guess. They could hold onto their Turkish fanbase by grabbing xfl0ud from FUT, but something tells us that buyout is massive. FL4MUS would be another option, but the same problem will probably arise there, too.
So instead, how about lauNX? His dceparture from FUT may not have left him witht he greatest levels of PR, but he’s a solid shooter, and that’s a lot more than can be said about the man he’d be replacing.