BIT explains how 9z took down Aurora

9z beat World No. 5 Aurora 2-0 at the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta, ending a difficult period for the South American team. Coach Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima believes regular playoff appearances can help 9z win another tournament.

9z had won four of its previous 13 matches since taking the XSE Pro League Guangzhou title in July. The results dropped the team to 17th in the global VRS rankings. Aurora entered the match after finishing third at Pro League.

9z changed its map approach after recently losing to Aurora. The team avoided Dust2, where it had struggled in its previous meetings with the European side, and picked Inferno instead. Aurora selected Nuke, but 9z controlled the map and closed out the series with a strong performance.

“We tried a different approach this time,” BIT told reporters after the match. “The last two times we played against them, we picked Dust2 and we didn’t have much of a chance. We ended up switching to Inferno, which gave us a chance to start winning the series.”

The early lead improved 9z’s confidence. BIT also credited strong individual displays from players including HUASOPEEK and luchov.

9z gave Aurora opportunities to recover on Inferno, including after losing a five-versus-two situation. BIT attributed the mistakes to aggressive positioning while his team held the lead.

“We got a little anxious at some points, but luckily we managed to keep our cool,” he added. “At no point did we get frustrated, at no point did we complain to each other about how we died or about having lost a round we’d given away.”

The result was 9z’s first win over a top-tier opponent since July, although the team had also beaten BETBOOM and TYLOO during that period.

“It was important, mainly because we had started to doubt a lot of things that we had been doing — rounds, some things, some calls — and that starts to make a difference when you’re not on the same page while you’re playing the match,” BIT explained. “I’m optimistic now that we’ll be able to get more wins like this one.”

9z is competing for a place in Stage 2 of the Singapore Major. The team is also scheduled to play at a tournament in Bucharest. BIT indicated that 9z is focusing on its current matches rather than calculating its Major qualification chances.

“We’re thinking about making the playoffs here, we’re thinking about making the playoffs in Bucharest and going further and further,” he said. “As a result, things will fall into place for the Major.”

9z reached several playoffs during the first half of the year before its recent decline. BIT’s immediate goal is to restore that consistency.

“Obviously we go into every tournament to win, but we have to go step by step,” he said. “If we can make it back to the playoffs consistently, I’m sure that at some point we’ll win another tournament.”

Stay on top of competitive CS2 and discover items through our CS2 skins marketplace.