With the PGL Cluj-Napoca group stage now complete, it's time to look at the results and try to make sense of them. Seriously, how on earth did SAW manage to make the Playoffs?

3-0 match3ups

Both FaZe and The MongolZ cruised through their opponents, only dropping a map across three series.

As we’ve said before, with frozen and EliGE in demon form, this feels like FaZe’s event to lose. And based on the bracket, we’d bet on a FaZe x MongolZ showdown for the trophy, with experience slightly tipping the scales in FaZe's favor.

3-1 & 3-2

Eternal Fire, new look MOUZ, paiN, Astralis, and Falcons – yes, Falcons finally look somewhat decent - also locked their spots in the Playoffs, though some had a shakier journey than others. We’re looking at you, Astralis.

But the biggest surprise came from a dead team. After early losses to FaZe and Astralis, SAW - who are benching roman and Shr after Cluj - somehow came back from an 0-2 deficit, securing a Playoff spot with wins over FlyQuest, Complexity, and 3DMAX. One of the forces behind their resurgence? Shr’s 1.11 rating performance across 11 maps. Guys, are you sure that’s the one you want to bench?

2-3 & 1-3

The 1-3 teams - MIBR, Wildcard, and Complexity - don’t deserve too much attention. They greeted us with poor performances across the board, which already led to drop being dropped.

That said, we’re a bit disappointed with 3DMAX, VP, and BIG. Honestly, we could’ve seen any of these teams taking SAW’s or Astralis’ spot in the Playoffs.

0-3

We knew FlyQuest weren’t any good, but losing to the dead team in the 0-2 matchup is probably the definition of rock bottom.

As for Imperial Valkyries, it’s clear that they’re still far from this level of competition. They were demolished by every team they faced, winning just 23 rounds across 6 maps. Gotta keep grinding.