At every event French Counter-Strike fans wanted to believe: this time 3DMAX can go further. Yet, event after event, the story ends the same way. A respectable run, a solid showing, and then the wall, against a stronger opponent they cannot break through.
The 9th to 12th curse
At top tier events, 3DMAX have settled into a recurring finish zone that defines their current level. Early into the year, and after their first Major qualification, the team gets the opportunity to compete at one of the best events at the IEM Katowice 2025. Invited to the Play-in, they steamroll through FlyQuest and MIBR with 2-0 victories and qualify easily to the main stage. Despite a win against BIG in the lower bracket, against the best team in the world, they would crumble and suffer an early exit after defeats at the hands of Vitality and Eternal Fire, both ranked 4th and 6th in the world.
This event would mark the start of a curse for this team, a 9-12th exit at big events. Following this event, the team would exit at the same place at PGL Cluj-Napoca, they would then fly through the first stage at the ESL Pro League Season 21 and follow the same fate in the main stage. PGL Bucharest seems to be better as the team managed to qualify to the playoffs, but the curse would come back for the next two events at IEM Melbourne, Dallas and Cologne.
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This year doesn’t seem to be any different, at the Stage 1 of the IEM Kraków 2026, they would convincingly beat FUT and s1mple’s BCGames to top their group and qualify to the main stage. They went on to defeat FaZe Clan only to lose against 2025 best team in Vitality and Falcons superteam, marking their seventh 9-12th place exit in the span of a year.
The Major Pattern
A similar trend seems to also appear on the biggest stage. Since their first Major showing in Shanghai 2024, followed by Austin and Budapest in 2025, 3DMAX have reached the main stage each time. At their first Major, their deep RMR run allowed them to directly qualify, but with only a win against paiN, the team exited in 12th to 14th after losses at the hands of MIBR, G2 ranked 2nd in the world and MOUZ ranked 5th.
But this 12th to 14th curse would follow for the next two Majors. At Austin, the team qualified to the 2nd stage but would swiftly qualify to the main stage after victories against BetBoom, Nemiga and FaZe, recording only a loss against Legacy. In the main stage, they would upset G2 but lose against NaVi, Vitality, and paiN, for another 1-3 exit. And at the end of the year, 3DMAX would suffer the same fate at the Budapest Major. They would pass through the 2nd stage, but would suffer losses at paiN, Vitality and FaZe with only a win against PARIVISION.
At Majors, pressure intensifies every weakness. They reach the threshold, but when the final step toward playoffs or a deeper run is needed, something is missing. Experience? Firepower? Cold-blooded decision-making in chaotic rounds? Probably a mix of all three.
A System that changed, but not Enough
The leadership change after Austin was supposed to be the turning point for 3DMAX. Putting Graviti in the IGL role was supposed to free Maka, the sniper of a burden, and elevate the whole team to another level. At first they were progressing, a 5-8th finish at the Esport World Cup with an upset against NaVi, and a close battle with TheMongolZ showed hope. And the event right after showed even more promise, a victory Perfect World CS Challenge Series 1, altho small, this was still a LAN trophy for the team.
But, old demons came back running, and the rest of the season followed as usual, even with progress as the team continued with Playoffs appearance at the ESL Pro League and even a 2nd place finish at the CS Asia Championships. But 3DMAX still lacked the individual skill that would put them through the next stage, and underwhelming performances at the Major marked the end of the first year in the T1 scene for the Frenchs.
The Missing Firepower Factor
At the highest level, tactics create opportunities, but it’s often the stars who win the rounds and this is where 3DMAX still falls short. Their AWP presence fluctuates too much from series to series and the same applies to the rifling core of the team. They have solid pieces, but not the kind of explosive, round-defining rifler who consistently wins unfair fights or clutches up against the best of the best.
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For 3DMAX, breaking through will likely require more than tactical tweaks. It may take either a genuine star performance at the right event or an evolution in roles that allows one player to consistently become that difference-maker. Until then, they remain dangerously close to the elite but still missing the final ingredient that turns strong tournament runs into real contention.
