Look Sports Media – 3DMAX’s PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 campaign ended abruptly after a surprising 2-0 defeat at the hands of a depleted Astralis squad. The French team, heavily favored coming into the tournament, failed to live up to expectations, exiting with a disappointing 1-3 record.
The Danes dominated the series, securing a decisive 13-3 victory on Ancient before clinching a hard-fought win on Inferno, fueled by a strong Terrorist side performance. This loss marks a significant setback for 3DMAX, who entered the competition as one of the highest-ranked teams, alongside Aurora, within the Valve Global Rankings.
The team had shown promising signs of improvement following the strategic shift that saw Filip "Graviti" Brankovic take on IGL duties, allowing Bryan "Maka" Canda to focus on his AWPing. Their recent runner-up finish at the CS Asia Championships, where they narrowly lost to Legacy in a thrilling Bo5 grand final, further fueled expectations.
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However, their Bucharest journey quickly turned sour. After a promising start with a 2-0 win against SAW, they suffered three consecutive defeats against underdogs B8, FlyQuest, and a weakened Astralis, who were playing with Emil "Magisk" Reif due to Martin "stavn" Lund’s absence for medical reasons.
Astralis, despite their struggles in stavn’s absence, displayed a revitalized performance against 3DMAX. Their T-side, which had been a point of concern, shone brightly as they secured 9 rounds on Ancient and 7 on Inferno.
While 3DMAX’s performance may have contributed to Astralis’ improved showing, the Danish team’s overall form remains questionable as the StarLadder Budapest Major approaches. Prior to this match, they had suffered defeats against B8 and Legacy, albeit securing wins against mibr and now, a struggling 3DMAX.
Speculation has arisen regarding potential fatigue within the 3DMAX camp, given their demanding schedule, which included ESL Pro League Season 22, CAC in Shanghai, and PGL Masters Bucharest. Regardless of the underlying cause, this early exit represents a significant disappointment for 3DMAX, especially considering the event was seen as a prime opportunity to contend for silverware.
Looking ahead, 3DMAX is scheduled to participate in another event starting November 3rd, where they will face stiff competition from almost the entire top 10, with the exception of Aurora. The missed opportunity in Bucharest may have been their best chance at securing a trophy this season.
Pretty damn disappointing from 3DMax. You can blame exhaustion or whatever but this is another fumbled opportunity to get close to a trophy. Sad French noises – Bleh (@OfficialBleh) October 29, 2025
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