PGL Cluj-Napoca playoffs recap
PGL Cluj-Napoca reached its climax this past weekend, and the stacked team list was a clear indication of the playoff quality we were about to witness - well, as long as you skipped MOUZ’s games.
FURIA and Falcons - two of the main favourites to make the grand final (excluding Vitality, of course) - bowed out at the very first hurdle.
Both quarters went the distance, but it was The MongolZ and PARIVSION who held their nerve. And in both series, it was the new blood that made the difference: cobrazera dropped a 1.34 rating performance on one side, while zweih posted a 1.23 on the other.
We already knew zweih had that dog in him. But cobra? See for yourself. Seriously, how does maaRaa keep plucking these absolute demons from some random Mongolian corner? Losing Senzu was a big blow, but the new MongolZ are starting to look just as dangerous.
As for Falcons… what more can be said? You’ve assembled a superteam. The crowd is literally telling you were the enemies are. You’re winning every single pistol round. And you still can’t close? Simply embarrassing.
In the last two quarterfinal matchups, there were no real surprises. MOUZ and Vitality handled NAVI and Aurora without much drama - the latter powered, as usual, by ZywOo f-ckery.
With day one wrapped up, the grand final looked destined to be the usual MOUZ vs Vitality borefest. But MOUZ decided to flip the narrative. Instead of getting flattened in the final, they bowed out to PARI in the semis, before even crossing paths with Vitality.
You can’t lose if you never actually play them, right? Genius move.
It was yet another painfully predictable MOUZ semifinal exit, complete with yet another vanishing act from xertioN when it mattered most. The real headline should be how sharp Jame’s boys are looking, but it’s hard not to call out MOUZ’s 157th auraless Playoffs disasterclass.
Don’t play the villain if you can’t handle the heat.
Vitality quickly took care of The MongolZ in the other semi, setting up a grand final between Counter-Strike’s breakout team of the year and its final boss.