kyxsan rejects NiKo criticism, stays open to feedback

Aurora captain Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski rejected Nikola “NiKo” Kovač’s criticism of his response to feedback after Aurora secured a top-four finish at ESL Pro League.

Kyxsan described Aurora’s first arena match as difficult. The international lineup felt nervous and did not perform at its highest level, but still won to reach the tournament’s final four.

Aurora has improved since kyxsan joined, with additional practice allowing him to introduce more of his preferred system. The players have also become more comfortable with their roles and style.

“I’m able to implement the way I want to play,” kyxsan said. “I think everyone likes the way we’re playing, and everyone’s feeling comfortable right now, so it’s just about keeping it up and upgrading it.”

Kyxsan praised coach Ashley “ash” Battye and described their working relationship as strong. Battye helps prepare the team, contributes ideas mainly for the Counter-Terrorist side and works to keep the players together during important matches.

Aurora’s mentality remains an area the team is working to improve. Kyxsan noted that some matches still feature poor decision-making and frustration, but added that the team has made progress over the past two months.

He specifically mentioned İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş and Özgür “woxic” Eker as players who still show moments of frustration. XANTARES, one of the older members of the roster, remains committed to improving, according to kyxsan.

Kyxsan disputed NiKo’s assessment of his ability to accept feedback. He explained that the criticism applied to the final month or two of their time together at Falcons and did not reflect their entire first year.

“I don’t think it’s fair what he said,” kyxsan said. “Maybe what he said was true, but that was for the last month or two. But he didn’t mention the first year and everything that was happening the first year.”

Kyxsan added that he does not place much importance on the comments and remains ready to learn from former and current teammates.

“I’m always open to feedback,” he said. “When you play with so many experienced and good players, you can learn from every one of them, so I’m happy to be learning from all of my ex-teammates and current teammates and just improve.”

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