Two teams have been eliminated, and two have advanced to the knockout stage. NIP and MIBR are the first to exit after going 0-3 in the Swiss stage, while paiN and HEROIC impressed with perfect 3-0 runs.
Brazilian advancement and elimination
Heading into PGL Masters Bucharest, MIBR had been on a hot streak. Following the additions of Qikert and kl1m, the team had claimed three tournament wins before their stumble at the CS Asia Championships.
However, their form didn’t carry over to Bucharest. MIBR fell flat, losing all three of their matches against BetBoom, Astralis, and fnatic, none of which were particularly close.
On the brighter side for Brazil, paiN Gaming delivered a statement performance. The team cruised through the Swiss stage with a flawless 3-0 record, taking down Gentle Mates, GamerLegion, and B8 along the way.
Norwegian defiance and Swedish downfall
NIP entered the tournament surrounded by uncertainty. Initially, it was announced that in-game leader Snappi would miss the event due to the birth of his child. However, after the birth, Snappi rejoined the roster just in time, only for coach Xizt to stay home for the same reason.
The instability seemed to take its toll, as NIP ended up going 0-3 after losses to HEROIC, SAW, and Gentle Mates.
HEROIC, meanwhile, exceeded expectations. Although not a fully Norwegian lineup, the organization is based in Norway, and its players represented it proudly. HEROIC went undefeated in the Swiss stage, defeating NIP, BetBoom, and Aurora to secure an early spot in the playoffs.
