MOUZ stand-in Nexius is attending his first CS2 LAN at IEM Sydney—but you wouldn’t think it

CS:GO’s final event champions MOUZ hit quite the roadbump on their way to IEM Sydney this week, as Finnish star Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo was delayed due to a visa issue. With his attendance in Australia still up in the air, MOUZ was forced to turn to their academy roster for help—and might have unearthed yet another star.

Bram “Nexius” Campana was playing for MOUZ NXT at CCT just last week, dispatching various tier-three European squads. Today, he took on the likes of NAVI in his first international LAN thousands of miles from home, and he made it look easy.

“I only knew a week before the event,” Nexius said to Dot Esports after MOUZ’s 2-1 victory over NAVI secured a spot in Sydney’s playoffs. “[MOUZ] called me up and said ‘We’re having some issues getting a visa for Jimpphat,’ so they asked me to prepare my visa and make sure I was ready to go in case there was a chance the issues continued.”

The rest is history. With just two days of practice with the team under his belt he was off Down Under, but was sublime in MOUZ’s two wins today. He even made it happen out of position, with the 19-year-old Belgian having to substitute into Jimpphat’s role in the team.

“I’m in a totally different role, I normally play really aggressive roles so it’s a bit of a change-up playing a more passive, anchor, or lurk role,” Nexius said. He credited the team for his success, saying the squad gave him plenty of freedom and room to try anything he wanted

“I think these guys are doing an amazing job at making me feel comfortable. I’m not nervous or stressed, I’m really enjoying my time and it’s all because of their approach and getting me in the mood.”

Nexius also praised the team’s energy in the first and third map during their upper bracket match against NAVI. MOUZ took Mirage in overtime, but was promptly blown out on Inferno. Fortunately for the European squad, they found their groove on Ancient, posting a near-flawless T-half to book their ticket to the Aware Super Theatre this weekend.

Nexius admitted nerves were certainly a factor, but once again the MOUZ team was there to comfort him. “What worried me nerves-wise was the build-up, like leaving the hotel and walking to the arena,” he said. “I was a bit scared I’d be nervous, but we talked a lot about nerves and that I just need to make sure I don’t pull it into something negative.”

“I’m just super happy and super excited for what’s to come now. I didn’t expect it to be this smooth, but I’m really proud we are overcoming the visa situation and a new game. We’ve all done a great job keeping the mood up and just keeping motivated.”

Nexius tops the charts for the academy roster with a 1.09 average rating over the past three months according to HLTV—but this is nothing new for MOUZ NXT. The organization has a knack for finding and nurturing talent, with the likes of siuhy, torzsi, JDC, and mhL going on to rep the main roster or other top-tier squads.

Nexius put it down to the atmosphere within the squad and org, and the freedom the group allows him as a whole. “I feel like I can do anything in any round and they won’t be mad if I die—they give you all the freedom you need,” he said. “It’s an amazing environment to be in, that’s the biggest reason why there’s so much success coming out of these teams.”

The Belgian star isn’t guaranteed to stick with the main squad in Sydney, assuming Jimpphat’s visa issues are sorted. Should they fail to fix the issue, Nexius will complete the event—but as far as he’s concerned, he’s already hit his expectation: to have fun. “I felt no pressure mainly because I came in on such short notice. I just really want to play and don’t want to lose,” he told Dot.

MOUZ takes on BetBoom in the upper bracket final on Oct. 18, with a win locking the ESL Pro League champions into a semi-final berth. It’s clear from what we’ve seen, however, that the squad has what it takes to go back-to-back, even with Nexius standing in.