We need to have a conversation

Seeing as PGL Bucharest is a somewhat real event, we actually got four quarter-finals from their studio. Y’know, as opposed to the forever disappointing six-team playoffs at every other event.

It was a surprisingly short day given the amount of Counter-Strike that was played. The day began with GamerLegion vs. Falcons, and we were pretty confident the Falcons’ run was over by the end of map one.

13-7 in favour of GamerLegion, Falcons were about as flat as we’ve come to expect them to be, with both NiKo and degster suffering at the bottom of the scoreboard. Not that it mattered for much, the duo turned it on in the next two maps to send Falcons through.

We were then treated to FaZe vs. 3DMAX, or, as we will now call it, FaZe. Seriously, 3DMAX may as well have just stayed in the hotel.

13-0 on Anubis and 13-5 on Nuke, 3DMAX were utterly woeful, and that’s even more true considering how bad FaZe are right now. broky and frozen had their way with the Frenchman, and that made us happy, because the French deserve nothing but sorrow (sorry, french readers).

Sadly, our joy came to an abrupt end in the next game. Because Aurora lost. To Complexity. Yes, Complexity.

The Americans may have somehow looked like a legit team in Bucharest, but come on, Aurora just can’t be losing to teams like Complexity. Sure, XANTARES might be ill, but even then, the talent in the rest of the squad should be enough to get past cxzi and nicx.

All we want is to be able to say that Aurora have the balls to contest playoffs against the best in the world. But if they’re losing to Complexity, what hope is there for them to ever win in a real event?

It may have been 2-1, and Grim and hallzerk may have had the best games of their lives, but this loss is just unforgivable. So for now, consider us off the Aurora train. At least until XANTARES plays like XANTARES again. Then we won’t be able to help ourselves.

The fourth and final quarter-final came in the shape of G2 vs Virtus.pro, which, all things considered, gave us some faith that G2 might not be completely useless when m0NESY leaves them for Falcons.

A 2-0 win after a 13-11 on Dust2 and a 13-9 on Mirage, G2 barely needed their superstar as HeavyGod and malbs both topped maps to send VP packing.

There’s hope there, at least. It might be faint, and they’re not going to find their Luke Skywalker in hades, but stranger things have happened.

Praise the scriptwriters

If Counter-Strike esports were ever accused of being scripted, the semifinals of PGL Bucharest would be Exhibit A.

In the first matchup, Falcons took down FaZe in a thriller that doubled as a farewell tour for two of their soon-to-be ex-teammates.

Falcons dominated Nuke in a one-sided opener, but FaZe bounced back with an overtime win on Ancient. Mirage was the decider, and despite the back-and-forth, it was Falcons who sealed the deal.

Degster and TeSeS - both (reportedly) on their way out - delivered standout performances. Just check this 3K from Degster. It seems like being kicked is the new meta for peak motivation.

Maybe FaZe should try it too - broky might actually start hitting some shots. At the very least turn the guy’s monitor on, please.

The second semifinal had Complexity facing off against G2. Yes, Complexity. No, we still don’t know how they’ve made it this far.

Somehow, this team is kind of good now? We’ll admit it - we wrote them off after EliGE left and they brought in two inexperienced NA talents. But credit where it’s due, they’ve been proving us wrong.

That is, until they ran into m0NESY.

G2 swept the series in two maps that felt more like a highlight reel for the AWPer than a semifinal. The kid ended the day with a 1.63 rating, absolutely dismantling Complexity. There’s really not much you can do against that.

Ultimately, it was a hell of a run for the Complexity boys, when no one had them even making the Playoffs. We bet that win over EliGE probably tasted sweeter than the trophy ever could.

And just like that, the stage was set – not just for a grand final, but for a showdown that meant more than just a title.

The last dance(s)

Everything came together for this one.

G2 versus Falcons. m0NESY versus NiKo. m0NESY’s final game with G2 before joining Falcons to reunite with his mentor. We almost shed a tear.

As for the final itself, it turned out to be a bit anti-climactic.

In a surprising turn of events, Falcons demolished G2 in every possible way, sweeping the BO5 with statement wins on Mirage, Nuke and Ancient. Just like the day before, degster and TeSeS played out of their minds - and for their lives - delivering when it mattered most with 1.27 and 1.21 ratings across the series, respectively.

To top it all off, we got m0NESY versus degster in the final round. Absolute cinema.

The post-Major shuffle is bound to create a lot of vacancies across teams, and we’re confident that degster will eventually find his footing. As for TeSeS, with all the kyosuke rumors swirling around, this must feel bittersweet for him too. But much like degster, he's simply too talented to stay on the sidelines for long.

From being 0-2 down to taking home the trophy against G2 of all teams, this was truly a dream run for Falcons. Despite being hated by 99% of the community, they’ve started to hit their stride. With m0NESY’s addition just around the corner, this team is only going to get better. Surely…

As for G2, they’re in the exact opposite situation. Without m0NESY to keep them afloat, the team now faces a rebuild with a rather grim future ahead. Perhaps you should’ve kept him…

Oh, we also had a 3rd place decider match before the final. Sorry, we’re still getting used to those.

Unfortunately for Complexity, someone finally turned broky’s monitor (and brain) on.

In typical broky fashion, with his usual inconsistency, he managed to put up a solid 1.26 rating, helping FaZe secure a hard-fought 2-0 and a podium finish at PGL Bucharest.

FURIA sign “junior 2”

Here at tl;dr, we love a baffling roster move.

MOUZ benching siuhy, G2 signing nexa over jks, and Passion UA picking up T.c. These are all wonderful moves that we can’t help but laugh at.

If we go a little further down memory lane, you’ll recall that Brazilian team FURIA once signed an American AWPer, junior. A fine player within his own domestic scene. FURIA picking him up was undoubtedly bizzare, and it went just about how well you’d expect it to – he was benched after six lacklustre months on the roster.

Fast forward four years, and FURIA – for some reason – have done it again. Although admittedly, we are a bit more intrigued this time around.

Following their pretty flat run at PGL Bucharest, FURIA bid farewell to chelo. Instead of looking to replace their aggro “star” they’ve then gone and brought in a new AWPer.

And if that isn’t confusing enough, considering FalleN’s place on the team, that new AWPer is Danil “molody” Golubenko from Kazakhstan.

We’ve got a few things to say about this, but let’s start with their new man, molodoy.

Signed from AMKAL, molodoy looks to be an exceptional player. His HLTV page is greener than Snoop Dogg’s grow room and he very rarely has a bad game – but then again, which AWPer does struggle against T2/3 opposition?

The more baffling part of this move is where it leaves FalleN? The Godfather is no longer the AWPer he once was, sure, but has he not been paying attention to cadiaN these past few months?

Rifling isn’t exactly easy to adjust to, and FURIA have just lost their most aggressive component. It’s not exactly going to be an easy void for him to fill.

Then there’s the communication aspect.

If comms weren’t already strained when FURIA switched to English for junior, what are they going to be this time around? At least one person was speaking in their native tongue back then.

To be completely honest, this is a move that we expect to crash and burn in spectacular fashion. It might be a great advert for molodoy in tier one, but we just don’t see how this team can function given all the changes that will need to take place around the move.

But if it somehow does work, FURIA may have signed a talent who’s exceptional enough to push them back up the rankings, which is more than we could say about Brazilian talents and their outrageous buyouts.

Whether this move ends up being good or bad, either way we’re baffled. But that also comes with a healthy dose of intrigue, and given that this move doesn’t involve MIBR in any way, it’s safe to say that we’re seated.

Vamos.

FURIA’s new starting five:

🇧🇷 FalleN
🇧🇷 KSCERATO
🇧🇷 yuurih
🇧🇷 skullz
🇰🇿 molody

🏆 Look into PGL

🕰️ Back in time

🇺🇸 Just NA things

This TL;DR was written by AN1MO, shook and Welshy.
Welshy coded the email and Crash_ copy edited.

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