9z pulled off a significant upset at the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta, taking down world number five Aurora in a convincing two-map series that featured a dominant showing on Nuke.
The victory came at a crucial time for the South American squad. Following their championship run at XSE Pro League Guangzhou in July, the roster had managed only four wins in thirteen matches, seeing their global ranking slip to seventeenth.
"It was important, mainly because we had started to doubt a lot of things that we had been doing, rounds, some things, some calls," coach Bruno "BIT" Fukuda Lima explained following the match. "That starts to make a difference when you're not on the same page while you're playing."
The strategic approach differed from their recent encounters with Aurora. Rather than selecting Dust2, where they struggled previously, 9z opted for Inferno. Aurora switched from their usual Mirage selection to Nuke, a decision that worked in 9z's favor.
"Starting off winning a series also gives a bit more confidence, which we've been needing," BIT noted. Individual performances stood out, with players like HUASOPEEK and luchov delivering key moments throughout the series.
Despite victories over BETBOOM and TYLOO at EPL, this marked 9z's first win against a top-tier opponent since their July triumph. The coach emphasized that doubt had begun creeping into the team's decision-making process.
Regarding playoff chances for the Singapore Major Stage 2, BIT remained focused on incremental progress rather than dwelling on qualification percentages. "We're thinking about the tournaments we're playing, we're thinking about making the playoffs here," he stated.
The team's philosophy centers on maintaining composure through difficult stretches. "We're a team that manages to keep our feet on the ground, stay calm, try to look for new solutions," BIT explained.
Looking ahead, the coach expressed optimism about returning to form. "We had a pretty interesting run of several playoffs at some point in the first half of the year. If we can make it back to the playoffs consistently, I'm sure that at some point we'll win another tournament."
