xertioN wins first MVP as MOUZ take IEM Beijing without dropping a map

Dorian “xertioN” Berman said his first Most Valuable Player medal was “the cherry on top” after MOUZ won IEM Beijing without dropping a map and claimed their first IEM title in Counter-Strike 2. The Israeli rifler beat teammate Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás to the award after a playoff run that helped MOUZ finish the event unbeaten and secure their second title of the Fall season.

After the final, xertioN said the medal mattered, but not as much as the team result. He described the award as part of a broader project in which he is trying to lead MOUZ from the in-game leader role while also contributing with his own form. “I want to be an IGL that can actually help in other ways as well,” he said.

A flawless run through Beijing

MOUZ’s title run was notable even by the standards of elite Counter-Strike tournaments. Their victory marked the 17th time a team has won a Big Event without dropping a map, and it was also the organization’s first IEM trophy. The team did not lose a single map on the way to the title, and the final was the fastest best-of-five grand final in terms of rounds played.

That run also came with noise from outside the server. xertioN said he had already seen people trying to talk the event down before the final, with some suggesting the tournament might have been easy. He rejected that reading and said MOUZ simply beat the teams in front of them. He also stressed how difficult it is to win at this level, especially without ever being pushed to a third map.

The team’s spotless record gave the final a different feel, but xertioN said the clean finish came from consistency rather than luck. He pointed to the group’s preparation and to the way MOUZ managed each series, saying the players stayed focused on their own game instead of getting dragged into debate about the strength of the bracket.

As he put it, the point was not to compare the run with anyone else’s. It was to finish the tournament unbeaten and bring home a trophy that MOUZ had never won before.

That context also helps explain why the result stood out in their season. IEM Beijing was MOUZ’s second title of the Fall, and the team’s ability to finish the event without dropping a map gave the victory a clean statistical edge that is rare even among top-tier champions.

The first rifle IGL MVP since gla1ve

The award also placed xertioN in unusual company. HLTV noted that he became the first IGL to win an MVP since Jame at Rio, and the first rifling IGL to do it since gla1ve at Beijing 2019. xertioN said that connection meant a lot to him, especially because he views gla1ve as a model for what a calling rifler can be.

“To be on the list with him is an honor,” he said. “He’s such a role model.”

He added that being on that list was not the main thing he was chasing. If he were not an IGL, he said, he might feel even happier about the individual medal, but his priority now is to help the team in more ways than just making calls. He said he wants to lead by example and contribute on the server instead of being the type of leader who only directs others.

That approach, he said, was the goal when he took on the role. For him, the medal is a sign that the setup is working, not the end point of the project. It is also why he described the award as extra value rather than the reason he came to Beijing.

“I don’t want to be this IGL that just calls and jumps for players.”

Playoffs changed his individual form

xertioN said his personal game was not at its best in the group stage. He described his aim as “not the sharpest” at the moment, but said something clicked once the playoffs started and his individual performances improved. He credited the coaches for that shift, saying their preparation helped him understand the macro side of the game and allowed him to frag at the level he did in the final stage.

He also framed the run as a strong team effort rather than a one-man surge. MOUZ stayed composed, and xertioN said the group’s structure allowed him to play with more confidence once the pressure rose. That balance between calling and fragging became a recurring theme in his comments after the trophy lift.

The final itself reflected that structure. xertioN said MOUZ were comfortable against their opponent’s style and knew what was coming. The team chose to keep the game slow and play on their own terms, rather than racing to close rounds. He said the coaches helped shape that plan, and that the players carried it out with maturity.

Dust2 summed that up well. MOUZ even ended the map with a P90 rush, but xertioN said the main story was not the flash finish. He said the team stayed composed, understood that the other side wanted to force the game, and handled the match with control. He joked about a few anti-eco rounds they gave away, then made clear that the overall performance was still disciplined and clean.

The title also connected to a larger checkpoint MOUZ had set before the Major. xertioN said the team agreed they wanted to win one of three tournaments before that event. They fell in the semifinals in Bucharest, then won in Beijing, which means one of those targets is already done. He said that takes some pressure off the team and leaves Hong Kong as the next chance to push again.

“We are ready to fight,” he said. “We are going into the Major very confidently.”

He also said MOUZ are far ahead at No. 1 VRS, a position he believes will help them next season. The team are due to head to Hong Kong soon, and xertioN said they will keep working while trying to add more trophies to what he called a different MOUZ. He said people are free to form their own opinions about the team, but the plan is to keep proving themselves on the server.

That is why the Beijing trophy matters to MOUZ beyond the silverware itself. It gave them a first IEM title, a mapless run through a Big Event, and an MVP medal for an in-game leader who has now joined a short list of calling riflers who have reached the top end of individual recognition. It also sends them into the next stretch of the season with the same message they carried through Beijing: they can win while playing their own way.

Earlier in the tournament, MOUZ’s place in the final was already being watched closely as the team built toward this result. Their unbeaten finish now turns that buildup into a title, and xertioN’s award gives the run another layer. The team got the trophy, the clean record and the individual medal they did not seem to be chasing at first, but all three came from the same week of controlled play and late-stage improvement.

For xertioN, that is the part that counts. The MVP is meaningful, the comparison to gla1ve is special, and the team’s first IEM victory is the biggest prize of all. The rest, he made clear, is just the bonus that came with it.