SAW upset Aurora to clinch PGL Masters Bucharest playoff spot

SAW upset Aurora to clinch PGL Masters Bucharest playoff spot

Portuguese side SAW booked a place in the PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 playoffs after a hard-fought 2–1 win over tournament favourites Aurora in a Swiss 2-1 match where the winner advanced directly to the bracket stage. The result pushes SAW to 3–1 and secures qualification, while Aurora drop to 2–2 and must survive a final decider to join the quarterfinals. 

Series at a glance

The veto set the tone for a tense stylistic clash. SAW removed Mirage, Aurora took out Ancient, and the Portuguese chose Nuke. Aurora replied with Inferno as their pick; the last bans left Train as the decider. 

• Nuke (SAW pick): Aurora 13–10 SAW — Aurora wrestled away SAW’s map with a stronger second half, flipping a 5–7 deficit into an 8–3 run after the switch. 

• Inferno (Aurora pick): SAW 16–13 Aurora (OT) — SAW answered on the Turkish squad’s choice. After trailing 5–7 at the half, the Portuguese edged a 7–5 second half and then closed 4–1 in overtime. 

• Train (decider): SAW 13–9 Aurora — With momentum on their side, SAW controlled the decider’s key mid-rounds and sealed the upset to punch their playoff ticket. 

HLTV’s match and post-game report framed the upset in broader terms: despite the loss, Aurora’s firepower still keeps them among the event favourites as they move into the 2-2 pool; however, with the Budapest Major looming, in-game leader MAJ3R acknowledged that improvements are needed quickly. 

Why this result matters

• Direct path to playoffs: With the Swiss format, 2-1 teams play for immediate qualification. SAW’s victory locks them in; Aurora now face a high-pressure decider in the 2-2 pool.

• Statement win over a frontrunner: Aurora had been widely viewed as a title contender in Bucharest, further underlined by their earlier placement in marquee matches and a strong start before losing to HEROIC in the 2-0 pool. Beating them in a best-of-three, on Inferno and Train, markedly elevates SAW’s ceiling. 

• Form curve within the event: The context around Bucharest’s Swiss stage shows how quickly narratives can pivot: HEROIC qualified 3-0; paiN also locked a spot; and Liquid later joined the playoff list after a comeback vs FlyQuest. SAW now sit in that same playoff cohort, while Aurora must avoid a second consecutive stumble.

How SAW did it

Resilience on hostile picks. Dropping their own pick of Nuke could have broken SAW’s rhythm, but the team’s mid-round solutions on Inferno were decisive: they repeatedly forced awkward re-takes, bled the CT utility early, and converted late-round clutches to drag the map to overtime before sprinting clear. The official stat line (7–5 second half, 4–1 OT) captures that momentum swing. 

Decider discipline on Train. Train often hinges on space control around Ivy and late-round yard pinches. SAW’s composure in low-economy rounds and trading around the inner site prevented Aurora from stringing multi-round streaks, keeping the decider firmly within two-to-three rounds until the closeout at 13–9. 

Veto execution. SAW’s decision to remove Mirage and leave Train mirrored their confidence in structure over pure aim-duel volatility. Conversely, Aurora’s removal of Ancient guided the pool toward Inferno/Train — maps they typically fancy — yet SAW out-prepared them in the small details that decide tight series. 

What it means for Aurora

The defeat doesn’t end Aurora’s campaign, but it does force them into a knife-edge match for survival. HLTV’s recap stressed that Aurora “remain among the favorites… even from the 2-2 pool,” a nod to their mechanical ceiling; still, the piece also cited MAJ3R’s admission that they must sharpen up quickly with the Major cycle ahead. In practical terms, that means tightening mid-round calling when momentum swings and stabilizing on deciders — they have now dropped critical maps to HEROIC (Mirage, Inferno) and SAW (Train) across two days. 

The bigger Bucharest picture

• Early qualifiers: HEROIC became the first team to lock playoffs after beating Aurora 2-0 (13–4 Mirage, 13–11 Inferno). paiN joined them with a 2-0 over B8. Liquid later clinched after a 2–10 comeback on Mirage against FlyQuest in a 2-1 match. These results frame SAW’s achievement within a top-heavy playoff field. 

• Format stakes: Liquipedia’s event primer reiterates the Swiss structure: all matches are BO3, and teams are reseeded each round by Buchholz; top eight progress to single-elimination playoffs. SAW’s 3-1 entry means they avoid the coin-flip jeopardy of a 2-2 decider — a not-so-minor competitive advantage.

• Ripple effects: Aurora dropping to 2-2 increases the danger for other big names who might collide with them in the deciders. Meanwhile, teams like Astralis also remain alive after eliminating 3DMAX 2-0; the Danes will also play a 2-2 match to try and qualify. 

Takeaways

1. SAW’s adaptability — losing their own pick yet out-prepping Aurora on the opponent’s map and on the decider — is the hallmark of a playoff-calibre side.

2. Aurora’s volatility — blistering firepower but costly lapses in closing multi-map series — is now a clear point of emphasis before the Major cycle and the final Swiss round.

3. Event dynamics — with HEROIC, paiN and Liquid already across the line, the remaining playoff slots will be decided by razor-thin margins in the 2-2 pool, where a single slow start or eco loss can end a campaign.

Bottom line: SAW’s 2–1 triumph over Aurora (10–13 Nuke, 16–13 Inferno, 13–9 Train) is one of Bucharest’s defining upsets so far — not just a big scalp, but a performance that showcased composure, map-pool flexibility and round-closing nerve when it mattered most. Aurora remain dangerous, but SAW are the ones moving on with a playoff berth in hand.