xelex says stage adjustment is the main challenge after MOUZ reach IEM Beijing final

MOUZ reached the IEM Beijing grand final on November 7 with a 2-0 win over BETBOOM, and rookie rifler Adrian “xelex” Vincze said the toughest part of the semi-final was not the opponent but the arena setting. Speaking to HLTV after the match, the Hungarian said he needed time to adjust to stage play after MOUZ spent the group stage playing behind closed doors on the B stream.

The victory gave MOUZ their fourth grand final appearance of the season and set up a best-of-five against The MongolZ on November 8. xelex said he felt the difference between the group stage and the arena immediately, especially on Ancient, where sound cues and spacing became harder to read once the match moved in front of the crowd.

He said the team handled the switch well enough to recover after a rough opening map. By the time MOUZ reached Mirage, he felt more settled and more able to play his own game.

Ancient was the problem, Mirage was the reset

xelex described Ancient as the map where the venue change affected him most. He said it was difficult to tell whether he was hearing opponents or teammates, especially during faster A hits, and that the arena atmosphere made him feel shaky early on. The noise of the event changed how he processed information in rounds that normally would have felt routine.

“It was really hard to hear in the game,” xelex said.

He added that on Ancient, particularly around Donut, he could not tell whether movement was coming from A or mid. That uncertainty was enough to throw off his timing early in the series, but he said the second map went much more smoothly once he had a map’s worth of arena experience behind him.

“I think I just needed one map to warm up,” he said.

MOUZ then carried that adjustment into the rest of the match. xelex said the team stayed calm after Ancient and did not panic once it became clear they needed to settle into the surroundings first. He also said the rematch with BETBOOM felt familiar because the teams had already played each other earlier in the event and on the same opening map.

xbetween the stage debut and the confidence that followed, xelex said the second map showed the version of himself he wants to bring more often. He did not think MOUZ were surprised by anything BETBOOM tried. Instead, he said the team had a read on the opponent’s tendencies and expected BETBOOM to lean more toward B on Ancient after MOUZ had previously beaten them on A site pressure.

The rookie says the stage remains the hardest part

Asked about his development, xelex said he feels comfortable inside the team and in the environment MOUZ have built around him. He credited the people around him with helping him get closer to the highest level he can reach, and said his day-to-day progress has been strong.

What still needs work, he said, is stage performance. He made clear that the issue is not the structure of the team or his role within it, but the difference between practice and live arena matches.

“I’m not performing at the highest level [on stage],” he said.

For him, that has become the main focus before the final. He said he does not want to let the team down when the pressure rises, and that he is trying to improve that part of his game as much as he can. The goal is to get used to the arena experience without losing the aggressive edge that has made him valuable in MOUZ’s system.

xelex said the atmosphere changes the match as soon as the team walks onto the stage. The hype, bass and crowd noise all hit at once, and he said that can make it difficult for a rookie to settle in immediately. Even so, he pointed out that the same conditions apply to the opponent, so he does not treat it as a one-sided disadvantage.

That perspective has helped him keep the issue in check. He said he is trying to focus less on the pressure around the game and more on playing the game itself, even if the stage makes that harder at first. For him, the answer is repetition: more arena maps, more comfort, and fewer moments where sound and movement blur together.

Why MOUZ felt ready for BETBOOM

Beyond his own adjustment, xelex said MOUZ’s chemistry has been one of the team’s biggest strengths during the event. He said the roster fits together well, and that the players give each other useful options because they are willing to play aggressively when the situation calls for it.

He described that flexibility as part of why MOUZ have looked so steady. In his view, the team dynamics allow them to react quickly in rounds and support different styles without losing control. That has been especially useful in a match-up like this one, where MOUZ already had previous experience against BETBOOM to lean on.

Before the semi-final, xelex said the team expected a different map pick, but once Ancient came up again, the reaction inside MOUZ was straightforward. They were not worried about the map itself. Instead, they saw it as another chance to show they could play it properly against the same opponent.

He also said Mirage is his favorite map, which made the second map feel more comfortable once the team settled in. The conditions were better too. xelex smiled as he recalled that the arena was warmer than the B stream area, and said he was happy not to be playing in a hoodie this time.

MOUZ now face The MongolZ in the final after the Asian side got past NAVI in the other semi-final. xelex said he views The MongolZ as a good team with an interesting style and expects them to bring a few unusual looks. At the same time, he admitted he would have liked a final against NAVI more.

He said MOUZ will need to be ready for a best-of-five, which will be his fourth. That format does not especially appeal to him because of the energy it demands over several hours, but he said the group is prepared for it and wants to finish the event with a title. MOUZ, he added, knew from the start that winning the tournament was the objective, and the last step is simply to go out and do it.

Related coverage: NAVI reverse-sweep PARIVISION to reach IEM Beijing semi-finals and Magnojez says BETBOOM’s FURIA breakthrough came from structure and better team play.