Aurora managed to avoid early elimination from IEM Beijing 2026 after a difficult start to the tournament, but the situation within the team remains far from ideal. Following the victory over G2, coach ash discussed in detail the problems that have accumulated due to a packed schedule, a lack of practice, and constant travel.
Expectations within Aurora have risen too quickly
Aurora’s recent results have significantly raised the bar for the team, but they have also increased internal pressure. According to ash, the players have started expecting too much from themselves already, even though the roster is still developing and does not have enough time to prepare properly between tournaments.
I think expectations for the team have risen too quickly internally, and that means a lot more frustration.
Over the last few days, we’ve kind of moved away from the things we were good at.
We need to stay a little more grounded and understand that we’re not at our peak right now.
ash considers this one of the main reasons behind Aurora’s inconsistency. After achieving good results, the team began treating victories as something expected, while every mistake started causing more negative emotions, even though the roster objectively has not had enough time to develop fully.
A packed schedule leaves no time to work on mistakes
The coach identified the almost complete absence of a proper practice cycle as one of the main problems. Aurora move from one tournament to another, forcing the team to spend most of their available time preparing for their next opponents instead of working on their own game.
For example, on Inferno, it feels like we’re throwing games away ourselves and repeating the same mistakes because we simply don’t have time to review matches together and analyze them. When you’re not practicing or analyzing games, those mistakes obviously keep happening.
As a result, Aurora even face situations where opponents deliberately pick maps that the team has not practiced for a long time. ash mentioned Nuke as an example, explaining that the roster played it at IEM Beijing practically without any recent practice following their previous official match on the map.
Aurora are still too dependent on momentum
Despite their systemic problems, the players’ individual skill allows Aurora to remain dangerous opponents even in difficult matches. Individual plays helped the team win several crucial rounds against G2, although they also made serious mistakes, including losing situations where they had a significant numerical advantage.
ash admitted that Aurora’s current play depends too heavily on momentum. When the team starts winning close rounds, they can quickly build momentum, but after several unsuccessful moments, the situation can just as quickly swing in the opposite direction.
Fatigue is also starting to affect the team
The players’ physical condition has become another problem. Aurora constantly travel between tournaments, barely returning home, and before IEM Beijing, the team also crossed approximately seven time zones. As a result, jet lag and accumulated fatigue have added to their in-game difficulties.
I don’t want this to sound like I’m complaining about everything. It’s just really difficult to balance everything right now.
We’re tired from traveling, constantly going from one tournament to another, and barely spending any time at home.
But I’m really proud of how the guys are playing because we’re currently in the top four of VRS and performing very well at tournaments.
At the same time, the coach emphasized that Aurora’s results remain strong. The main objective now is to prevent fatigue and inflated expectations from undermining the progress the team has already made over the past few months.
Aurora need a break before the Major
The most important period for Aurora will be their preparation for the Major. By then, the team needs to finally have more time for practice, detailed map reviews, and correcting recurring mistakes that cannot currently be properly addressed because of the tournament schedule.
We need to find a little bit of joy in how we’re performing right now, even if it doesn’t feel great. We’re still grinding out these wins.
For ash, the current situation does not look like a crisis. Aurora continue winning matches and remain among the strongest teams in VRS, but the coach wants the roster to assess its current condition more realistically and stop demanding immediate titles from themselves during a period when the team is effectively developing without a proper practice routine.
