The best highlights from the Thunderpick World Championship Playoffs

Published October 21, 2025, the roundup celebrates a standout moment from each playoff matchup at the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 in Malta — from semi-final clutches to a vintage pistol round from a legendary IGL in the grand final. 

Match-by-match highlights

Aurora vs. FURIA — woxic’s AWP ace (Overpass)

With Aurora trailing 0–1 in the series and 2–7 on Overpass, Özgür “woxic” Eker sprang to life around Bathrooms, chaining an AWP ace that pulled his team back into the half and kept the series alive—even if the Brazilians ultimately advanced. 

NAVI vs. The MongolZ — w0nderful’s USP 1v4 (Nuke)

Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov authored the moment of the series with a clinical 1v4 that began with a rare burst-fire Glock kill before switching to a USP to click away three clean headshots. NAVI later closed the decider on Ancient, but this clutch stole the show on Nuke. 

The MongolZ vs. Aurora — Senzu’s AWP 4K (Mirage)

Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold capped a 2.00-rated Mirage demolition with a poised AWP 4K, underscoring the 19-year-old’s emergence as a reliable playoffs performer and sealing third place for The MongolZ. (He also had a 9HP 1v3 earlier in the map.) 

FURIA vs. NAVI — FalleN’s Glock 4K (Train), Grand Final

In the marathon best-of-five, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo rolled back the years with a stylish Glock 4K that smoothed FURIA’s second-half path on Train—one of several pivotal sequences as the Brazilians completed the reverse sweep to lift the trophy. 

What happened around these highlights

FURIA reverse-sweep NAVI to win the title (Oct 19)

FURIA came back from 0–2 down to win the grand final 3–2, their second LAN trophy in a month and a statement ahead of the Budapest Major. 

KSCERATO claims his first career HLTV MVP (Oct 19)

Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato finally secured an HLTV x 1xBet MVP after a consistently excellent event in Malta—the first MVP medal of his career. 

Bracket, format, teams, and schedule recap

Eight teams in two GSL groups fed into single-elimination playoffs (BO3) and a BO5 grand final; finals hosted in Malta. 

Player quotes (verified)

FalleN on choosing to play Malta despite a planned break:

“We postponed our break to play [here] because we want to give back to Malta,” he said after reaching the final.

Aleksib on FURIA’s style ahead of the BO5:

“They have a unique style that’s always nice to watch,” NAVI’s in-game leader said before facing FalleN’s men.

KSCERATO on finally earning MVP:

“Everything in God’s time, you know?” reflected the FURIA star after being crowned MVP.

MAJ3R on Aurora’s tough losses:

“I rewatched the [NAVI] match several times and I still can’t believe the way we threw that game,” said Aurora’s captain while vowing to fix T-side issues.