xertioN Leads MOUZ to PGL Astana Playoffs With 2-0 Win

MOUZ advanced to the PGL Astana knockout rounds after a 2-0 win over Aurora in the Swiss stage on May 12 in Astana. The team won Dust2 13-11 and closed the series on Nuke in overtime.

Aurora picked Dust2 to open the match. MOUZ defended through a tight game and closed the map 13-11. Adrian “xelex” Vincze put together an 18-10 T-side half on Dust2 that helped secure the opener after Aurora repeatedly targeted the B site.

On Nuke, MOUZ trailed 7-10 in the second half before mounting a comeback. Dorian “xertioN” Berman and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi led the recovery in regulation and extra rounds, and MOUZ won the overtime rounds to finish the match.

The win completed MOUZ’s Swiss-stage schedule, following earlier wins over Gentle Mates and G2 and a loss to 9z. With the result, MOUZ moves on to the PGL Astana playoff bracket.

MOUZ made roster and role changes during the season. The club promoted xertioN to in-game leader and added xelex and Justinas “jL” Lekavicius to the active lineup. xelex took on static anchor duties on some maps, and jL occupied defensive positions different from those he played at his previous team.

Statistically, xertioN led MOUZ in the group stage. He recorded a 1.64 rating on CT halves across 11 maps and finished the Swiss stage as MOUZ’s highest-rated player at 1.34 overall. Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás posted a 1.05 overall rating. Lotan “Spinx” Giladi had a 1.06 rating, Justinas “jL” Lekavicius finished at 0.99, and Adrian “xelex” Vincze was at 0.98 for the group stage.

Aurora produced positive individual numbers but lost their map pick. Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş led Aurora with a 1.09 rating, Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın had a 1.04 rating, Caner “soulfly” Kesici and Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli each recorded a 1.00 rating, and Özgür “woxic” Eker posted a 0.76 rating for the group stage.

MOUZ will appear in the PGL Astana knockout rounds next. Their remaining schedule in the event will be determined by the playoff bracket.