“I Felt Like There Is Something Missing” – MAJ3R on Aurora’s 2025 Struggles, and Finding Their Game with Soulfly

Why It Matters

The roster swap signals Aurora’s intent to convert playoff consistency into titles, a shift that could reshape the CS2 competitive hierarchy in Europe.

Key Takeaways

• soulfly replaces jottAAA to refresh Aurora's lineup
• Team reached IEM Kraków playoffs after roster change
• MAJ3R praises soulfly's calm, intelligent playstyle
• Strong Anubis comfort boosts Aurora's confidence
• Aggressive T‑side AWP tactics under discussion

Pulse Analysis

The European Counter‑Strike 2 scene has entered a phase where roster stability is as valuable as raw talent. Aurora’s decision to replace jottAAA with soulfly reflects a broader trend: teams are prioritising players who can adapt quickly to evolving strategies and map updates. By integrating a player known for composure and rapid learning, Aurora hopes to eliminate the recurring playoff bottleneck that plagued their 2025 campaign, positioning themselves as genuine title contenders.

Map mastery remains a decisive factor in CS2, and Aurora’s confidence on Anubis illustrates this point. The squad’s comfort on the map translates into higher win rates and a psychological edge, especially when opponents are still adjusting to recent map tweaks. This map‑specific confidence, combined with soulfly’s analytical mindset, allows the in‑game leader to experiment with aggressive T‑side AWP tactics without sacrificing overall team cohesion.

Looking ahead, the success of Aurora’s roster overhaul could influence other organizations to evaluate the balance between star power and systemic fit. If soulfly continues to deliver consistent performances and the team sustains its momentum through the remainder of the IEM circuit, it may set a precedent for data‑driven player acquisitions in esports. Stakeholders—from sponsors to league organizers—will watch closely, as Aurora’s trajectory may redefine how competitive advantage is built in the rapidly professionalising CS2 ecosystem.

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

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor · Last Updated: 05/02/2026

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.

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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 playoffs last year. We are one of the teams last season that made the most playoffs, but we always failed in playoffs.”

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.”

Official tweet:

“@jotta_cs joins @eternalfiregg on loan. We wish you nothing but success, whatever journey is ahead. TRCS ❤️” – Aurora CS2, Feb 2 2026

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.”

Tweet: “best roster move of 2026 btw” – Aurora CS2, Feb 2 2026

How does soulfly fit into the team’s balance?

“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 confidence boost did those wins give you?

“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

Regarding woxic’s aggressive play:

“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 on 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 strong individual performances, especially against Mouz. Do you feel more comfortable in the team now?

“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.”

Tweet: “He has been reading the tweets. What a showing from Maj3r!!” – Ne0kai, Jan 30 2026

What 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.”

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Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter‑Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.