“I felt like there is something missing” – MAJ3R on Aurora’s 2025 struggles, and finding their game with soulfly

After a disappointing end to 2025, Aurora and Engin ‘MAJ3R’ Küpeli made the decision to remove Samet ‘jottAAA’ Köklü in favour of Caner ‘soulfly’ Kesici.

The Turkish roster hit a wall last year, but with soulfly they are looking to rebalance the roster, allowing a more natural style to emerge.

MAJ3R caught up with Esports News UK prior to Aurora’s IEM Kraków quarter-final against Furia to discuss their tournament so far with their new addition.

How are you feeling about the tournament? There’s been some ups and downs through the stages.

Yeah, obviously, it’s a good result for us, reaching the playoffs here, because it’s one of the best tournaments in the year.

So very happy about our performance, but it’s not over. We have a goal to start winning this tournament, so we’re going to do our best for that.

Going back to last year, how did you feel about the roster at the end of last year?

I think last year we started very well, like the first six months, and after they removed Anubis, I feel like the teams fell down a little. It’s momentum.

But now that Anubis has come back, maybe we can get our momentum back.

“I felt like there is something missing, because we reached all the playoffslast year. We are one of the teams last season that made the most playoffs, but we always failed in playoffs.” – MAJ3R on Aurora’s 2025

In terms of you as a leader, did you feel like there was any difficulty in the server and in leading the team?

No, as an in-game leader, I didn’t feel that it was difficult to lead the team, but I felt like maybe we had to switch one player, and that’s why we did. We changed jottAAA for Soulfly.

I felt like there is something missing, because we reached all the playoffs last year. We are one of the teams last season that made the most playoffs, but we always failed in playoffs.

So I understand that we lacked something, and we tried to speak about a solution, and this is what we decided this year, and we will see if it pays off or not.

https://twitter.com/AuroraCS2_GG/status/2018406602840134037

Going into those big matches, did you lack belief as a team that you were able to beat Vitality, Mouz and other top teams?

No, no, no. When we go inside the server, I think there is not this feeling of lack of belief in winning.

We all believed that we could win, and sometimes we did, sometimes we did not.

“I think he is fitting in my system, in our system. Obviously, we have star players, we have XANTARES and Wicadia, so I can’t give him the role of these players.” – MAJ3R on soulfly

With soulfly coming into the team, what do you think he offers?

I think he is very calm, and most of all, he is very intelligent, he understands things.

When I try to teach him something, or try to tell him to do [something] more like this, he understands and just does it, and this is a good quality, I think.

He doesn’t make the same mistake twice, and I think this is important.

https://twitter.com/AuroraCS2_GG/status/2018341975389241842

In terms of the balance of the team, it was mentioned that jottAAA didn’t exactly fit or want to be in all of his roles. How do you think soulfly fits into the team in that sense?

I think he is fitting in my system, in our system. Obviously, we have star players, we have XANTARES and Wicadia, so I can’t give him the role of these players.

So it’s a balance of 50-50, you know? He needs to find his balance in my system, and I have to give him as much as I can; the freedom that he needs to be comfortable.

So it’s just a give-give situation, and for now, when we see this tournament, we already beat Mouz and Falcon, so I think it’s a good start for him.

“We want him to play more aggressive on T side. On CT it’s on him; on T side we try to figure out what is best for us, but it’s just about discussion.” – MAJ3R on woxic’s aggressive AWPing at IEM Kraków

How much of a boost of confidence did it give you guys to get those wins?

Yeah, of course, winning against Mouz 2-0, winning against Falcons, it’s so much confidence-giving, obviously, yeah.

“Most of the time, an in-game leader who’s not performing is because they sacrifice too much of themselves for the system and for the players. But right now, if I can perform, it means that I have found my place in the system.” – MAJ3R on his strong individual showings

I wanted to ask about woxic, because he’s had some really strong showings in this tournament. I noticed that he was feeling himself, making more aggro plays and stuff like that. Is that something which is coming from you, or is that just his own feeling?

It’s just a discussion between him, the coach, and myself.

Obviously, nowadays in Counter-Strike, an AWP player can be aggressive, but also has a supportive role in T side, you know, he has to throw nades, so we try to find a balance for him.

Like we want him to play more aggressive on T side, but on CT side it’s just feeling, I’m not telling him as much.

On CT it’s on him; on T side we try to figure out what is best for us, but it’s just about discussion.

“I think you do a great job, so I think the main thing is that we are comfortable with the map, where everyone plays well individually. We’re instantly confident when we play on Anubis.” – MAJ3R on Aurora’s Anubis record

You’ve had some great performances individually, especially against Mouz. If you look throughout history with IGLs, one of the things is their performance usually gets better if their team is functioning better. So, do you feel more comfortable in the team?

Yeah, this is a good question, I think. When an in-game leader is putting up frags, it’s because the system works for him and he can use himself in the system.

Most of the time, an in-game leader who’s not performing is because they sacrifice too much of themselves for the system and for the players.

But right now, if I can perform, it means that I have found my place in the system. And it’s important, I think, for me to play good individually sometimes to help my team.

But most of the time I’m not thinking about [myself] individually. I’m never thinking to myself, ‘You have to play good MAJ3R.’

I just say to myself, ‘If your four teammates play really good, for sure you’re going to win.’

So I just do my best, so that my four teammates play good, that’s all.

https://twitter.com/Ne0Kai/status/2017298218720043040

What do you think makes you so good at Anubis as a team?

I don’t know, I think I’m not in the best position to talk about myself on Anubis, but I think why we are strong on Anubis is because all my players, including myself, are really comfortable with the map.

When you’re comfortable on something, I think you do a great job, so I think the main thing is that we are comfortable with the map, where everyone plays well individually.

We’re instantly confident when we play on Anubis. We start confident, but maybe on another map, when we play on another map, maybe the player doesn’t feel very confident.

So that’s why he’s not giving the same performance.

Do you have any reflections on the map changes? Do you think they make much of a difference?

I think for the change on Anubis, I think it’s too new to think about something.

I think it will not change a lot the meta of Anubis, but obviously the CT side will make more aggressive play, but I think there is a counter of that on the T side.

I don’t think it’s a really big change, but we have to adapt to that.