Lucky after PGL Masters exit: “We can hit a high ceiling — we just lack consistency”

3DMAX’s Lucas “Lucky” Chastang says fatigue and recurring map issues undermined his team’s run at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, where the French side were eliminated in the groups after a loss to Astralis. “A lot of things went wrong… a lot of stupid mistakes,” he told HLTV. “Maybe we were just exhausted from all the traveling and playing. I think we’re really capable of having a high ceiling, but we just lack the consistency.” He added that Ancient remains a weak point: “We know Ancient has been a weak map for us for a long time now… there are a lot of things we can improve, for sure.” 

The early exit capped a grueling stretch that included flying straight from China — where 3DMAX reached the CS Asia Championships (CAC) 2025 grand final — to Romania for PGL Masters. Lucky expects a short reset before the Major to help: “Those weeks are going to be really good for us to be able to play at our best level at the Major.” 

Recent form & schedule context

CAC 2025 runners-up: 3DMAX punched their ticket to the CAC grand final with a semi-final win over Liquid, marking a high point of the fall run. Legacy ultimately won the event, with latto claiming MVP. 

IEM Chengdu up next (Nov 3–9): 3DMAX are slated to meet G2 in their Group B opener as the team embarks on a third China event since late August. 

Related interviews & quotes

Lucky on expectations (mid-October): Speaking after a tight series win over Virtus.pro at CAC, Lucky said, “I think we’re the favorite here, so hopefully we can live up to it,” underscoring the belief inside 3DMAX before their finals run. 

IGL shift gave Maka “more freedom”: Following the summer leadership change that handed the IGL role to Filip “Graviti” Brankovic, Lucky explained the rationale: “It’s going to give Maka more freedom to play at his full potential,” while reflecting on the team’s evolution under the new structure. 

Graviti on workload & form (CAC): After beating Liquid to reach the CAC final, Graviti acknowledged both the uptick and the toll: he discussed his inconsistent form earlier in the season, the improvement at CAC, and how the packed LAN schedule has worn on the team. 

A bump in EPL: “Horrible” play without Maka: When Inner Circle (ex-TNL) upset 3DMAX in ESL Pro League Stage 1 while the French side were missing AWPer Maka, captain Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro bluntly called the team’s play “horrible.” 

What it means

The arc of 3DMAX’s fall run — a finals surge at CAC followed by a group exit at PGL Masters — mirrors Lucky’s diagnosis: a high ceiling punctured by inconsistent performances and a known map liability on Ancient. With IEM Chengdu (Nov 3–9) immediately ahead and a brief window for recovery before the Major, the team’s next step hinges on converting that ceiling into steady output — and shoring up the veto.