Inner Circle's Rebirth: New Roster Opens with Win Over 3DMAX

Inner Circle's Rebirth: New Roster Opens with Win Over 3DMAX

In their very first match under the Inner Circle banner, the newly rebranded Ukrainian squad claimed a hard-fought 2–1 victory over 3DMAX in ESL Pro League Season 22 Stage 1. 

The victory marks a promising start for the roster that was acquired from TNL earlier.  Under the Inner Circle tag, they have officially begun their LAN journey, and this debut win gives them early momentum. 

Match Breakdown

The match versus 3DMAX was played as a Best-of-3, with the following map results:

• Ancient: Inner Circle 16 – 13 3DMAX

• Nuke: 3DMAX 13 – 9 Inner Circle

• Train: Inner Circle 13 – 4 3DMAX

Thus the series swung back and forth before Inner Circle closed it convincingly on Train. 

One factor to note: 3DMAX competed without their AWPer Maka, which may have contributed to their weaker performance. 

In post-match remarks, bodyy of 3DMAX described his team’s play as “horrible.” 

Player Performances & Stats

From the match stats:

• Dawy had a standout showing on Ancient, putting up 15 kills (and a high ADR) in the performance overview.

• nifee, onic, cairne, and Flierax also contributed steadily.

• Notably, cairne secured 13 kills on Ancient and had solid impact throughout.

As for 3DMAX, Graviti was their top performer on Ancient, recording high impact stats for kills and damage. 

Significance for Inner Circle

This victory matters on several levels:

1. Debut under new identity
   Inner Circle’s roster transition from TNL to the new organization was only recently completed. The win establishes early credibility for the transformed squad.

2. LAN debut hopes fulfilled
   Their first match wearing the Inner Circle jersey was also their first match in a major league environment under the new tag.

3. Overcoming expectations
   Many viewed Inner Circle as underdogs. 3DMAX was favored in this match, according to betting predictions, making the upset more meaningful.

4. Validation of roster move
   The Inner Circle organization had recently benched its previous roster and completed the acquisition of TNL players.This win offers justification to stakeholders and fans alike.

5. Starting strong in ESL Pro League
   Winning your first match in EPL helps with momentum, team morale, and perception among opponents going forward.

Organizational & Roster Context

In the lead-up to this match, Inner Circle had made sweeping changes: they benched and transfer-listed much of their older roster, signaled dissatisfaction with prior results, and then onboarded the TNL core. 

The TNL roster had already built chemistry, having played together, which likely eased the transition. 

As per Inner Circle’s team page, their starters now are nifee, Flierax, onic, Dawy, and cairne, with jR as coach. 

In statistics for their tenure at the new club (albeit only a few matches), the players already show promising numbers. 

The organization’s world ranking is currently not displayed, likely because the roster change reset certain metrics. 

Challenges & What Lies Ahead

• Sustainability: One win is a strong start, but the true test will be maintaining consistency against tougher opposition in EPL.

• Chemistry under pressure: While the TNL core brings familiarity, executing as Inner Circle under lofty expectations is different.

• Opponents adapting: Competitors will now study Inner Circle’s maps, tendencies, and strategical strengths.

• Pressure to perform: Expectations among fans and org will gradually rise after this early success.

Conclusion

Inner Circle’s fresh incarnation under the new branding got off to a powerful launch with their first match win against 3DMAX. Between game-to-game adjustments, roster chemistry carryovers, and early success, they’ve positioned themselves as a team to watch in ESL Pro League Season 22.

The challenge now is to build on this momentum, stay adaptable, and prove that they can sustain high-level play beyond their debut.