MOUZ have reached the BLAST Open Porto 2026 semi-finals, but Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás believes the roster still needs to lower expectations while PR and xelex gain experience. Speaking to BLAST ahead of the playoffs, torzsi discussed the new lineup, his return from a difficult mental period and why he still believes this version of MOUZ has enormous potential.
MOUZ entered the second half of 2026 by winning BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals before reaching the quarter-finals at Esports World Cup. In Porto, they secured a direct semi-final berth after beating Falcons 2:1 in the Group B seeding match.
BLAST Bounty gave MOUZ confidence after a difficult start to the year
The BLAST Bounty title was an important result for a roster that had gone through major changes earlier in the year. torzsi said the victory helped MOUZ start the second half of the season with more confidence.
The season started pretty well with the win at Bounty, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence.
The following Esports World Cup was more difficult. MOUZ reached the quarter-finals, which torzsi considered a reasonable placement for a lineup with two young players, but he was unhappy with how the roster performed and exited the tournament.
torzsi was close to burning out
torzsi also opened up about his own struggles earlier in 2026. He said he felt lost during the first part of the year and had to work on both his individual form and mental state before rediscovering his enjoyment of Counter-Strike.
I was at the edge of burning out, and I realised I needed to work on that.
The 24-year-old worked with a sports psychologist and also discussed the situation with Dorian “xertioN” Berman and coach Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen. torzsi said recognizing the problem was especially important, adding that strong tournament results alone could not solve what he was dealing with.
His individual level has improved alongside that change. In the 2:1 victory over Falcons in Porto, torzsi recorded a 1.21 Rating 3.0 and a 44–27 K–D across the three maps.
PR has already impressed torzsi
Oldřich “PR” Nový joined the main MOUZ roster from GamerLegion in July and has now played 32 maps with the current lineup. torzsi praised both his mechanics and his understanding of the game despite his limited time in the roster.
I’m really impressed by how sharp he can be; he’s an amazing player.
torzsi also highlighted the differences between players who spent more time inside the MOUZ system and those who developed elsewhere. He explained that PR and other newer additions have experienced different coaching structures and approaches before joining the main roster.
We need to teach them our way.
xelex still needs time in his new positions
torzsi also spoke about Adrian “xelex” Vincze, who has been part of the starting lineup since May. The AWPer believes xelex has the ability to become one of the best players in the world, but said several positional changes mean he still needs time to fully adapt.
According to torzsi, MOUZ do not expect xelex to immediately become the best player in every new position. He instead highlighted the work the 19-year-old is putting into learning the roles and becoming more consistent.
The progress has already been visible in Porto. xelex was the highest-rated MOUZ player against Falcons with a 1.36 Rating 3.0 and a 49–36 K–D.
MOUZ have lowered expectations after the roster changes
Before the recent changes, MOUZ spent around a year and a half consistently competing near the top and entering events with deep playoff runs as the expectation. torzsi admitted that mentality has been difficult to adjust after bringing younger players into the roster.
We do need to look into ourselves and lower the expectations a little bit.
He stressed that MOUZ need to give PR and xelex experience rather than expecting them to immediately match players who have spent years competing at the highest level. At the same time, torzsi does not want the development process to take several years, with the goal being to bring the newcomers up to speed while the more experienced members continue improving.
Despite lowering short-term expectations, his view of the ceiling of the roster remains extremely positive.
Yes, I think this is the best iteration of MOUZ. We have a lot of potential with this lineup.
MOUZ will play their BLAST Open Porto semi-final on September 5 against the winner of FURIA versus Vitality. A victory would send the roster into the grand final after already securing a direct semi-final berth through the group stage.
