xenn Says BIG Can Fix FISSURE Playground 3 Mistakes Ahead of Major Push

BIG coach Sebastian “xenn” Hoch believes his team has enough time to correct the problems exposed at FISSURE Playground 3 after a difficult last-place exit in China.

BIG were eliminated after consecutive defeats to BETBOOM and G2, with the latter series ending 1-2. Speaking to HLTV after the G2 loss, xenn identified BIG’s CT sides and communication as the main areas requiring attention. He also stressed that the team’s next practice block will be crucial as BIG continue their pursuit of qualification for the PGL Major in Singapore.

 

Quick Summary

BIG’s event page lists the team’s FISSURE Playground 3 run as a 13th-16th-place finish, while no upcoming BIG match was listed by HLTV at the time of publication.

 

What Happened to xenn and BIG at FISSURE Playground 3?

BIG coach Sebastian “xenn” Hoch believes the team can fix many of the mistakes exposed during its FISSURE Playground 3 campaign.

 

FISSURE Playground 3 was another opportunity for BIG to strengthen their position during an increasingly important part of the 2026 season.

Instead, the German organization left the tournament without a series victory.

BIG opened their campaign on September 8 with a 0-2 defeat against BETBOOM. They then entered an elimination match against G2 on September 9 and pushed the European lineup to three maps before losing 1-2.

For xenn, the G2 series exposed a particularly clear weakness: BIG's defensive halves.

The coach said BIG's T sides were generally satisfactory and specifically highlighted their attacking performance on Cache. Ancient also featured a comeback attempt, but the team repeatedly struggled to convert promising CT situations.

That distinction matters. BIG's post-event review is not simply about rebuilding their entire approach; xenn has already identified a more specific area for the team to investigate.

xenn Identifies BIG’s CT Side as the Main Problem

According to xenn, communication was below the level BIG needed against G2.

The coach explained that BIG sometimes had the correct read and even stacked the right bombsite, yet still failed to win the resulting rounds. His conclusion was that the team needs to review those situations and determine why good information and positioning were not producing successful conversions.

That gives BIG's upcoming practice period a relatively clear tactical agenda:

review CT-side rounds from FISSURE Playground 3;

diagnose unusual communication problems;

improve conversions when BIG correctly reads an opponent;

retain the more encouraging elements of the team's T sides;

address similar mistakes from the Esports World Cup period.

This is especially important because xenn said some of the communication problems in China were unusual and had not appeared in the same way during practice.

Tactical Impact

BIG's CT-side execution and communication became central points in xenn's assessment following the loss to G2.

 

From a tactical perspective, BIG's problem against G2 was not described simply as an inability to predict the opponent.

Quite the opposite: xenn indicated that BIG sometimes knew what was coming.

That suggests the review may focus heavily on execution after the read — positioning, communication, timing and the team's ability to turn an informational advantage into a round win.

Exactly which tactical changes BIG will make is TBD. xenn did not announce specific role, map-pool or roster changes.

 

BIG’s FISSURE Playground 3 Timeline

The tournament results and xenn's stated practice plan were reported directly by HLTV following BIG's elimination.

 

Background: BIG’s Difficult Start After the Player Break

FISSURE Playground 3 should also be viewed as part of BIG's broader post-break run rather than as an isolated result.

xenn estimated that BIG had only six or seven practice days after the player break before beginning the season. Despite that limited preparation, BIG successfully came through the Esports World Cup open qualifier.

At the EWC main event, BIG beat Aurora in a best-of-one before suffering 1-2 defeats against G2 and Spirit. Earlier in the summer, BIG had also finished 5th-8th at XSE Pro League.

Their recent competitive sequence illustrates the inconsistency:

HLTV's BIG results page confirms this sequence and lists the team without a current win streak following the FPG 3 elimination.

 

Why xenn’s Comments Matter for BIG

The importance of the FISSURE Playground 3 exit goes beyond one tournament.

BIG are fighting for their place in the qualification picture for the PGL Major in Singapore.

At the time of xenn's interview, HLTV reported that BIG were 10th in Europe in the relevant VRS race and roughly 100 points above the cutoff. That creates some breathing room, but not enough for BIG to treat future events casually, particularly because chasing teams can still gain points.

xenn acknowledged that reality.

He said BIG's upcoming Stake Ranked appearances represent their primary opportunities to collect additional points and emphasized that reaching the Major remains the team's main objective.

Tournament Impact

The immediate consequence of the China trip is simple: BIG leave FISSURE Playground 3 in the 13th-16th-place bracket without the deep run they wanted.

The longer-term consequence is more important.

Every missed opportunity increases the significance of BIG's remaining tournaments. The team can still control part of its qualification path by winning matches, but there is less margin for another early exit.

No precise future VRS-point projection is included here because the necessary official calculation was not provided in the source.

 

Key Details

 

Impact Analysis: What BIG Need to Solve

BIG's immediate challenge appears to be consistency rather than a single isolated bad result.

1. CT-side conversion

Correct reads mean little if BIG cannot close the round afterward. The G2 series provides the coaching staff with specific situations to review.

2. Communication

xenn explicitly mentioned unusual communication during FISSURE Playground 3. Determining whether those problems came from pressure, coordination or situation-specific mistakes will be one of the important questions during the team's practice block.

3. Turning close maps into series wins

BIG have recently pushed elite opposition without consistently finishing the job. Their 1-2 losses to G2 and Spirit at EWC, followed by another 1-2 loss to G2 in China, show that competitiveness alone does not guarantee progress through tournament brackets.

4. Major qualification pressure

Future Stake Ranked results now carry additional significance because xenn views those tournaments as BIG's principal remaining opportunities to strengthen their Major position.

 

What Changes Now for BIG?

No roster change was announced following FISSURE Playground 3.

The confirmed change is instead in BIG's immediate schedule: xenn said the team would take a few days away before entering approximately two weeks of practice.

The focus will primarily be on CT-side performance and reviewing the communication breakdowns seen in China.

That makes the next official appearance a useful test. If BIG's attacking halves remain competitive while their CT setups become more reliable, FPG 3 could ultimately function as a diagnostic tournament rather than the beginning of a longer decline.

Whether that improvement happens remains to be seen.

 

BIG Roster

BIG's current lineup now faces an important period as the organization looks to improve its results during the remainder of the 2026 season.

 

HLTV listed BIG's current lineup alongside xenn as follows at the time of the interview:

No roster move was announced as part of xenn's post-FPG 3 comments.

 

What to Watch Next

The first question is whether BIG's practice block produces a visible improvement on the CT side.

Their next Stake Ranked appearance should provide a particularly relevant benchmark because xenn directly connected those tournaments with BIG's Major qualification hopes.

Also watch for BIG's ability to convert competitive performances against high-level opponents into actual series wins. Recent encounters with G2 and Spirit have demonstrated that BIG can contest strong teams, but their results have not yet provided the consistency required for a comfortable qualification campaign.

Next BIG match: TBD. HLTV showed no upcoming match for BIG at the time this article was prepared.

 

FAQ

What did xenn say after BIG's FISSURE Playground 3 exit?

xenn said BIG have a number of problems they can improve after the tournament. He particularly identified the team's CT sides and communication as weaknesses that need to be reviewed during their upcoming practice period.

Why were BIG eliminated from FISSURE Playground 3?

BIG lost 0-2 to BETBOOM before falling 1-2 to G2 in their elimination series, resulting in a 13th-16th-place finish.

What does xenn want BIG to improve?

The immediate priority is BIG's CT side. xenn said the team experienced communication problems and sometimes failed to convert rounds despite correctly anticipating the opponent's attack.

Can BIG still qualify for the PGL Major in Singapore?

According to xenn, yes. HLTV reported BIG as 10th in Europe with approximately a 100-point cushion above the relevant cutoff at the time of the interview. However, their position can still change as other teams compete for points.

When will BIG play next?

A confirmed next match was TBD at publication time. HLTV's BIG team page listed no upcoming matches, while xenn said Stake Ranked tournaments would be the team's major upcoming opportunities.