The FISSURE Playground 1 tournament began with striking results in the Play-In stage. The opening matches delivered both expected victories and surprising upsets: paiN cruised past Rare Atom, while SAW stunned the scene by eliminating the favored FURIA in a two-map series.
paiN crush Rare Atom in opening match
The Brazilian squad paiN left no chance for Rare Atom, securing a dominant 2:0 win. Both maps — Inferno and Dust2 — ended with an identical score of 13:3 in favor of the South Americans, who controlled the pace from start to finish.
The standout player of the match was snaw, who delivered 33 kills, 104.6 average damage, and an impressive 1.77 rating.
SAW confidently defeat the Brazilian side in two maps
Portuguese team SAW pulled off a major upset at FISSURE Playground 1 by knocking out tournament favorites FURIA with a clean 2:0 victory.
On the first map, Anubis, SAW played with confidence and took the win 13:9, never allowing FURIA to build momentum. The second map, Inferno, followed a similar script, as the Portuguese side closed it out 13:8, leaving no room for a comeback.
The best player of the match was MUTiRiS, who delivered a stellar individual performance with 37 kills, 99.1 ADR, and a 1.42 rating. This victory marks one of the biggest surprises of the Play-In stage and proves that SAW should not be underestimated — even against top-tier opponents.
The start of FISSURE Playground 1 has already set the tone for a thrilling Play-In stage — paiN lived up to their status as favorites, while SAW showed that no team is immune to defeat. With many matches still ahead, the tournament promises to be unpredictable and full of exciting storylines.
