Eternal Fire punch ticket to Cluj-Napoca playoffs

The Turks are three for three in reaching the bracket stage in 2025.

Eternal Fire are through to the playoffs of PGL Cluj-Napoca with a 3-1 record after edging past 3DMAX in a three-map series.

It took everything in the tank for Engin "⁠MAJ3R⁠" Küpeli's side, who fought back from a deficit on Anubis thanks largely to a superb 1.69-rated showing from Samet "⁠jottAAA⁠" Köklü and had to fend off a late resurgence from 3DMAX on the Nuke decider to get things over the line.

"Today was a little bit of an off-day for us, we didn't play the best CS that we're used to showing in other games," MAJ3R told the analyst desk in an interview after the match. "But I'm really happy that even with our form we can win these matches."

Home maps continue to reign supreme

There was little doubt about where the veto would go in this series with Anubis and Inferno both left open. Eternal Fire had a 9-1 record on the former in 2025, their sole loss coming to The MongolZ in the playoffs of IEM Katowice, while 3DMAX have called Inferno home with superb T sides and a 6-2 record.

Both teams converted their picks to force a Nuke decider, but Eternal Fire were made to work for their Anubis victory after starting down 0-4 and losing the pistol in the second half.

They climbed back from 6-8 and 7-9 deficits thanks to heroics from jottAAA, who was also key in closing out Nuke with a key triple at Ramp and two multi-kills.

Eternal Fire had started down 0-4 again on the decider but recovered to 8-7 after the break, only for 3DMAX to pull back ahead after a few great calls.

Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill and Alex "⁠Machine⁠" Richardson highlighted that Eternal Fire's supporting cast would need to step up alongside Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş, who was 17-8, to close the game, and it was Ali "⁠Wicadia⁠" Haydar Yalçın and jottAAA who did just that with denials on A Site and Ramp, respectively, to get their side through to their third playoffs of 2025.

"He's a young player, really hungry to play," MAJ3R said about what jottAAA brings to the team. "He has a lot of energy inside him. There have been two crucial moments for Eternal Fire, Wicadia [joining] two years ago and now jottAAA, from my point of view.

"I'm happy because they really motivate me, in terms of... they come early, they watch demos, they play a lot of Counter-Strike.

"At my age, sometimes [it is hard] to find motivation, and when I see them I say to myself, 'MAJ3R, you need to be more motivated than them, you need to show them.' They make me what I am now and maybe I'm a better leader because of them, I really believe."

3DMAX don't lose their footing

3DMAX's upward trajectory in 2025 has continued in Romania despite the recent swap of Thomas "⁠Djoko⁠" Pavoni for Alexandre "⁠bodyy⁠" Pianaro.

The team had taken the fight to Eternal Fire in Katowice but fell in a narrow three-map series, and though they couldn't get the job done this time out either, still looked contentious throughout the series with some teamplay.

A few questionable mid and late-round scenarios on Nuke showed there are still some rough edges to smooth over after the change, but previous wins over Virtus.pro and MIBR in Romania means that Bryan "⁠Maka⁠" Canda's side still have a chance to make the playoffs.