Aurora appoints ash, signs international roster

Aurora announced it has hired Ashley “ash” Battye as head coach and signed Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo, Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski and Özgür “woxic” Eker. The five-player roster is built around existing members Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş and Ali “Wicadia” Yalçın. The club described the change as an effort to increase firepower and tactical options for Big Event competition.

Ash joins Aurora after guiding a lower-ranked team to a Major final and later rebuilding a top-20 squad under difficult circumstances. The club highlighted his record on results, experience integrating players after off-field issues and man-management skills as reasons for the hire.

The incoming players fill defined roles. Jimpphat, 19, is expected to serve as a low-resource anchor and late-round closer; he has reached a Top 20 ranking while playing lurker and anchor roles. Kyxsan will take the in-game leader role; his history includes entry-fragger duties and tactical input developed while working with coaches and peers such as kuben, sAw and zonic. Woxic remains the team’s veteran AWPer after Aurora ended a pursuit of Danil “molodoy” Golubenko; transfer rumours continue to link molodoy to the club.

The five-man alignment pairs the three internationals with Turks XANTARES and Wicadia. Club staff outlined plans to assign XANTARES and Wicadia to rotator and aggressive positions, with kyxsan and Jimpphat adjusting to anchor and late-round roles as required by maps. Practice emphasis will focus on macro concepts, defined roles and rehearsing set plays rather than wholesale position changes.

The roster change moved Aurora from a mostly Turkish core to an international lineup. Parts of the Turkish fanbase reacted negatively to the shift, citing concerns about national identity. Similar reactions occurred previously when players left Eternal Fire. The organisation has one studio-level trophy to date from a PGL studio event at Masters Bucharest.

There are sporting concerns related to the squad. XANTARES is 30 and has a long-running hand issue; MAJ3R wrote on X, “Sometimes he feels pain.” Statistical trends show a decline in XANTARES’ CS2 rating from 1.15 in 2025 to 1.07 so far this year, and a difference between group and playoff performance: a 1.13 group rating versus a 0.94 playoff rating in recent events. Wicadia has recorded stronger numbers this season, including multiple high-impact performances at events.

Observers note the signings alter Aurora’s profile: the club added mechanical firepower and a new leader while retaining established pieces. The organisation framed the changes as an attempt to move beyond regional playoff appearances and compete deeper at Big Events. The club’s announcement did not provide a timeline for the roster’s first event under the new configuration.