Virtus.pro Knock Out 3DMAX, Keep Hopes Alive at FISSURE Playground 2

Virtus.pro Knock Out 3DMAX, Keep Hopes Alive at FISSURE Playground 2

Virtus.pro have avoided being knocked out early in FISSURE Playground 2, after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 3DMAX in the Swiss Round 4 elimination match. With this win, VP move into the 2-2 pool of the Swiss stage, while 3DMAX are eliminated from the event. 

This result comes after VP’s rough start in the tournament. They had previously lost two straight matches, placing them in double-elimination danger. Their win over 3DMAX marks their second elimination match victory. 

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Map Breakdown & Key Matches

The Best-of-3 unfolded as follows: 

• Train: VP edged out 3DMAX with a 13-11 victory. A tight map with strong CT side play helped VP take it.

• Inferno: 3DMAX responded decisively, taking this map 13-5. They showed dominance especially on CT rounds, exploiting VP’s vulnerabilities.

• Dust2: The decider map saw VP once again narrowly clinch it, 13-11 over 3DMAX, eliminating the French side from the tournament.

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Players & Standouts

• Perfecto served as in-game leader for VP in this match; his leadership in tight moments has now guided them through two elimination matches.

• FL1T, fame, ICY, and tO0RO make up the rest of the VP lineup — their individual consistency across maps played an important role. Particularly in the opening and closing rounds of each map. The stats show small but crucial edges.

• On 3DMAX’s side, players like Maka, bodyy, Ex3rcice, Lucky, and Graviti showed flashes of brilliance, especially on Inferno, but couldn’t close out on the tighter maps. Their map pick of Inferno paid off, but their Train and Dust2 performances were just shy of what was needed.

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Implications for VP & Tournament Trajectory

• With this win, VP are now in the 2-2 bracket (i.e. teams who have a 2-win, 2-loss record) of the Swiss stage. That means they have one more win to reach playoffs, but one more loss would eliminate them. 

• VP’s resilience under pressure is noteworthy — surviving elimination matches is often as much about mental strength and leadership as it is about raw aim. Perfecto’s role as IGL seems to be contributing to this.

• For 3DMAX, this marks the end of their run at FISSURE Playground 2. Despite their high world ranking and good map pool, they couldn’t find consistency across all maps. Their Inferno was convincing, but losing Train and Dust2 in close fashion hurt their chances.

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Broader Context & Tournament Details

• FISSURE Playground 2 is being held in Belgrade, Serbia, featuring 16 teams competing for a US$500,000 prize pool. The Swiss stage format requires teams to accumulate wins across rounds — dropping early matches puts teams under immediate pressure.

• VP’s world rank is #18 (at the time), while 3DMAX are ranked around #11. This underdog win gives VP not only match survival but also an opportunity to improve in the Regional Valve Standings (VRS), which influence invitations to Majors and seeding.

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Takeaway

Virtus.pro have shown that despite shaky beginnings, a strong map veto strategy, clutch play in close rounds, and IGL leadership can keep a team alive in a Swiss bracket scenario. For them, the next match in the 2-2 block will be make-or-break: one win to push toward playoffs, or one loss to knock them out.

3DMAX, while leaving the tournament, still showed that their upper-tier map execution (e.g. on Inferno) is strong — but to beat resilient squads, they’ll need those edge cases to go their way in closer maps.

In short — VP survive, 3DMAX exit, and FISSURE Playground 2 continues with tighter stakes.