Aurora started StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 with an important victory over NAVI, ending an unsuccessful head-to-head streak against this opponent. Wicadia admitted that the team’s international roster is still adapting, but believes that Aurora are gradually becoming stronger and, with the right work, can turn into a consistent contender for big results.
The victory over NAVI had special meaning
After the rebuild, Aurora had already shown strong stretches against FURIA and G2, but the team lacked the final step. That is why the victory over NAVI became important for the new roster not only from a tournament perspective, but also from a psychological one.
After the roster changes, we sometimes showed good Counter-Strike, but we could not finish the job. It was important to come here and get the first victory, especially against NAVI. Our head-to-head matches against them have not gone the best, so we are very relieved and happy.
For Wicadia, this series has additional context: in previous important matches against NAVI, his teams regularly lost. Now Aurora have finally managed to break this trend with their international roster.
The new roster is still adapting
Aurora have been playing together for only a few months, so Wicadia does not expect the team to immediately reach its peak. The roster brings together players from different countries and with different playing backgrounds, so building a full system takes time.
We are getting used to each other day by day. There are four or five different people here from different countries, so it takes time to reach our best form. But I think we are getting better every day.
Wicadia calls constant analysis of mistakes the main method of progress. Aurora are not trying to rebuild everything at once, but are gradually fixing the problems that appear in official matches.
English communication remains a challenge
One of the biggest changes after moving away from a fully Turkish roster was the switch to English. Wicadia emphasized that the issue is not the level of language proficiency — all players can communicate normally outside the server, but during fast mid-round situations, the problem becomes much more noticeable.
Everyone on the team has good English, and we can communicate normally every day. But I played in a Turkish team for four years, and the others even longer. So sometimes it is difficult to quickly say certain things during the mid-round.
Communication automatism remains one of Aurora’s areas for development. In critical situations, it is not enough to simply know the right words — information has to be delivered instantly, so every official victory helps the team improve both synergy and confidence at the same time.
Aurora are also working on psychology
Another problem the team is trying to fix is instability in tense moments. Aurora had already lost series where they were close to victory, so the psychological side became a separate area of work.
In the game, we are trying to stay calmer. Most of this work is done individually by everyone, because everyone has a different mentality and everyone has to work on themselves.
In this context, the victory over NAVI may be especially useful. Aurora not only defeated a strong opponent, but also received confirmation that the new roster is already capable of closing matches at this level.
Wicadia sees contender potential in Aurora
Despite the positive start, Wicadia does not want to make loud statements about the team’s level too early. He admits that they are still far from stability, but sees enough potential in the current roster to gradually enter the group of serious contenders.
I don’t want to talk too big. I think we can become one of the contenders if we keep working a lot.
This describes Aurora’s current position well: the team is already capable of beating NAVI, but still does not have enough distance to talk about stability. The next tournaments will show whether this victory becomes the beginning of a new level or remains a separate strong result.
The next test is NRG
In the upper semi-final of StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, Aurora will play against NRG, who unexpectedly defeated MOUZ in the first round. Wicadia immediately rejected the possibility of underestimating the opponent and emphasized that the team is going to move from match to match.
I don’t think we should underestimate them, because they just beat MOUZ. I think they are a very good team.
For Aurora, this match will be the next test of how far the adaptation of the international roster has progressed. The victory over NAVI has already given the team the confidence it needed, but now it is important to confirm the result and show that it was not a one-off surge.
