torzsi: "This is the best iteraton of MOUZ ever"
Although expectations may have been lowered after a difficult start to 2026, MOUZ opened up the second half of the year with an incredible win at BLAST Bounty Season 2.
Since then, they’ve reached the quarter-finals at EWC and are now through to the semi-finals of BLAST Open Port, having beaten Falcons to make it there.
Ahead of their semi-final clash against either Vitality or FURIA, we sat down with torzsi to discuss his rediscovered form, the new additions to the team, and the dampened expectations of a MOUZ team that are looking to return to the elite levels of the game.
“Good tournaments can’t fix everything”
The season started really well over at BLAST Bounty, and you've had EWC since, so how are you feeling about it all?
The season started pretty well with the win at Bounty, and I think it gave us a lot of confidence. It was nice to start off the season on the right foot.
Obviously, EWC was a little more of a weak point, and not just because of the quarter-final finish, because that's a decent result for a new team with two young guys, but I just don't think we showed the best version of ourselves. It could have been different if we went out in the quarters after a better game, but the way we lost wasn't the best, and neither was the way we qualified for the playoffs.
It's been a few months since xertioN took over IGLing, and you've refound your form in that time. How much is that down to the gameplan changing to accommodate you or just down to your own individual work?
It's a combination; he's doing a great job as an IGL, but I've also been working on my form and my mental state. The beginning of the year wasn't the best, and I felt a bit lost. I was in a rabbit hole, and it was a tough period.
I've worked a lot to get out of that state, though, to find my joy again, and I think I've done that now; I'm enjoying the game again. Me and xertioN also have really good chemistry because of how long we've been playing together, so we know what the other likes to do, and that means he knows how to set me up in the positions to do that.
You mentioned working on the mental aspect there; was that something you think you solved before you recaptured your form, or did you need the performances to come too?
I was at the edge of burning out, and I realised I needed to work on that, so I put a lot of time into it with my sports psychologist, and I'm really grateful for that. We first had to realise it, though, and talk about it with both xertioN and sycrone so that I could address it and get the help and patience I needed. But it was more down to the realisation than the work; good tournaments can't fix everything.
PR is the new kid on the block; how have you found him since coming into the team?
I'm really impressed by how sharp he can be; he's an amazing player. He came from GamerLegion and was already one of the best players there with his aim and understanding.
He's a really smart kid, and I think he enjoys the game a lot, and it's just really impressive in terms of the game sense he already has.
He's a former NXT guy like yourself, but the big difference is that he went somewhere else in between, just like siuhy did. Is there a difference in players like xelex and Jimpphat, who just got promoted, compared to players like siuhy and PR, who went elsewhere?
It's a hard one to answer, because for the first generation of NXT, we had sycrone there and then all got promoted one by one. We had the same ideology throughout that because of sycrone, and we understood what he wanted us to become and how he wanted to lead the team. We were all on the same page.
When siuhy and PR came back from GamerLegion, or even with xelex getting promoted much later, they've come from different lineups and coaching staff, so there is a visible difference in terms of how they see things outside of the game and how they work with each other and the rest of the team. We need to teach them our way.
In terms of xelex, you have the extra factor of being countrymen. Have you taken on a mentor role with him?
Yeah, we're from the same country, so I'm really proud of him for making it here, and now he has a great opportunity to prove himself and become one of the best players in the world. He has the ability to do it, for sure, and I'm trying to help him in any way he needs it, or I just highlight something if I see it.
There were a lot of positional changes for him when he came up. How do you think he's adapting to it all? When I interviewed him during Bounty he said he didn't think he was quite there in terms of consistency just yet.
He had a lot of changes as you say, and I think he still needs some time to get used to all of the positions and master them. You need to be able to get yourself into the best positions within your roles, and that takes a lot of hours.
I still don't think he's reached his best form, or that he's the best player in his positions, but I don't think we expect that, either. He's working hard to get better and to improve, and I think he's doing great at that.
All of these changes came after an incredible 18-month stretch for the team that ultimately ended with a bit of a dip in form. CS feels more competitive now than in that 18-month stretch, and you have these two young players, so how do you feel about getting back to that point where a top four is the minimum expectation?
For one and a half years we were very consistent at doing that, and one of the best teams in the world throughout that time, but with the two guys coming in, we do need to look into ourselves and lower the expectations a little bit.
It's a hard thing to do, though. When you were up there for such a long time and so close to lifting trophies, but then have all of these changes, you need to lower the expectation, and although that's a good thing, it's just hard to accept.
We need to give the guys experience, though, so the expectations are lower, but we don't want to wait another two or three years to get them there. Our main task is to get them to catch up to us and to also get the old guys to improve.
Do you think that when they get that experience, this version of MOUZ will be the best ever?
Yes, I think this is the best iteration of MOUZ. We have a lot of potential with this lineup, and we've already shown it at Bounty, so if we get some time, then hopefully in Singapore and the Major after that, we can peak and show how good we are.
