Ashley “ash” Battye praised Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın after Aurora reached the semifinals of Thunderpick World Championship 2026, saying the 21-year-old has the potential to develop far beyond a Top 20 player.
Speaking to HLTV after the 2:0 victory over 9z, the coach also discussed the freedom given to Wicadia, the difficult start to the tournament and the search for more consistency ahead of the Major.
WICADIA GETS STAR PLAYER TREATMENT
Wicadia produced another strong performance as Aurora defeated 9z in the playoff rematch after losing to the same team in their opening series.
ash said the team have increasingly learned to trust Wicadia rather than trying to control every decision he makes inside the server.
We’re trying to trust him as much as possible because he’s a guy who doesn’t want to be told what to do so much.
According to the coach, Wicadia needs freedom to make his own decisions, even if some of his plays can initially look unusual.
ash believes his game sense makes that approach worthwhile and described the freedom given to him as star player treatment.
You kind of give him the star player treatment, where he can just go a little bit random sometimes.
ASH SEES POTENTIAL BEYOND TOP 20
The coach was particularly positive about the individual development of Wicadia since the international Aurora lineup was formed.
ash said the player has also made significant progress with his mentality after several conversations inside the team.
Maybe Wicadia gets top 20 this year, maybe not, but there’s potential to be significantly more than that.
He described Wicadia as an exceptional talent and said there has recently been a breakthrough in an area that had previously caused problems for the rifler.
ash believes there is still considerable room for Wicadia to improve despite his recent performances.
AURORA WANT MORE CONSISTENCY
Aurora entered Thunderpick World Championship after finishing second at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 and third at ESL Pro League Season 24, but opened the event with a loss to 9z.
ash described that first series as one of the worst performances from the team and admitted the lineup struggled across several areas.
We just played terribly.
He mentioned the quick turnaround following ESL Pro League, limited rest and illness inside the team as possible factors, but stressed that they were not enough to excuse the level shown.
Aurora responded by winning four consecutive maps, first eliminating Ninjas in Pyjamas and then defeating 9z in the rematch to advance.
ash said the next priority is finding a more consistent level, especially on the worst days when the pressure is higher.
AURORA PREPARE FOR FURIA
Aurora will face FURIA in the semifinals of Thunderpick World Championship 2026.
ash expects a close series and said Aurora will need a better performance than they have shown during parts of the tournament.
The coach also dismissed the idea that the current results are simply part of a honeymoon period for the new lineup.
I don’t think we’re in the honeymoon period, but I think the skill level keeps us quite solid anyway.
According to ash, communication inside the team has become more direct, with players now more willing to discuss problems and areas that need improvement.
The semifinal against FURIA will provide another test for a lineup that has now reached deep stages at three consecutive events.
