As the Budapest Major unfolds, few teams sit in a more intriguing position than 3DMAX. The French organization has hovered on the edge of the tier-one conversation for months, showing flashes of real promise without quite breaking through. For French analyst and on-air talent CND, however, this could be the event where everything finally clicks.
“3DMAX must qualify for Stage 3,” CND says confidently. “They’ve stabilized their level of play over the past few months after the IGL change, even if they’ve grown tired from the recent sequence of travel.”
That belief is strong enough that he put them in his Pick’Em — but not bold enough to bet on a flawless 3–0 run. The reason, he says, lies in the fine margins of elite Counter-Strike.
“They’re not safe when it comes to Bo1s,” he explains. “It’s a tricky format, and when you look at their results, 3DMAX doesn’t have a big margin over teams ranked below them.” In other words: the ceiling is high, but the buffer for mistakes is slim.
A core that refused to break
The current 3DMAX core has been together for more than two years, surviving role changes, meta shifts, and the usual turbulence of the tier-two circuit. For CND, the recent in-game leadership change is the key to understanding their upside.
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“With Graviti now taking over in-game leadership, Maka is once again able to fully focus on his mechanics and return to being a top-tier AWPer,” he says. “The team’s overall firepower is comparable to a top-15 roster, especially when Lucky is put in clutch or round-finishing situations where he consistently delivers impact.”
This is the version of 3DMAX that excites him: a proper French firepower lineup with a dedicated IGL, a star sniper unleashed, and a closer who thrives when the pressure is highest.
But even as he praises the roster, CND doesn’t hide what he sees as their biggest structural flaw.
“The main weakness of the team at the moment is likely its coaching staff,” he notes. “It appears limited in both depth and structure when compared to other teams at a similar competitive level.”
In a scene where top squads rely on deep analytical benches and layered prep, 3DMAX are still, in his view, underpowered behind the players.
Burnout, collapse, and the reset before Budapest
Recent results might worry some fans: 3DMAX came into the Major on a five-match losing streak. To CND, those numbers don’t tell the full story.
“After the final lost against Legacy, 3DMAX completely collapsed,” he says. “The team burned out from a relentless series of tournaments and travel. It was an exhausting pace they simply couldn’t handle.”
That collapse, he argues, was more about schedule and fatigue than a true reflection of their level. Budapest, by contrast, finds them after a much-needed reset.
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“They arrive at the Major after a recovery phase, with players who were able to disconnect for a bit,” CND explains. “I think that freshness will do them good. You have to look at their run at the CAC to get a real idea of the team’s current level.”
In other words, if you judge 3DMAX purely by the cold form line of their last five series, you might be underestimating them.
Not the end – a step forward
Given how long this core has been together, it’s natural to ask whether this Major might be a breaking point. CND doesn’t see it that way.
“I mainly expect this Major to be a moment of growth for 3DMAX,” he says. “The leadership change needs to pay off, and in my view the team should be capable of fighting for a playoff spot.”
Roster-wise, he also points out that their room to maneuver after the Major is extremely limited.
“If the transfer market heats up after the Major, the team’s options are limited,” he explains. “Neityu’s 300K buyout is completely out of reach financially, and the pool of French players is too shallow. The only real avenue for improvement would be the coaching staff.”
That reality makes Budapest even more important: 3DMAX don’t just need results, they need proof of concept that this project is worth doubling down on, especially behind the scenes.
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Map pool, Mirage, and the meta
One of the talking points around 3DMAX is their permanent ban of Mirage — particularly at a tournament where Mirage has become one of the most played maps. For some teams, that kind of hard veto could be a serious liability. CND shrugs it off.
“I don’t believe the fact that 3DMAX doesn’t play Mirage has any real impact on their performance or their chances,” he says. “The current top-20 teams all have a very complete map pool, which provides plenty of options in both Bo1 and Bo3 formats.”
As long as their remaining maps are drilled and confident, he believes the veto won’t meaningfully drag them down.
Who has to shine?
Statistically, 3DMAX arrive in Budapest with a surprisingly even spread of numbers — all five players hovering around similar ratings over the last three months. For most teams, that kind of balance would be a positive, but CND insists that at the very top, somebody has to break away from the pack.
“Maka, who has stepped away from the IGL role, needs to return to being the team’s star player,” he says. “All the top-performing teams right now have an AWPer who shines, and it has to be the case for the French squad.”
At the same time, he highlights Lucky as a potential x-factor.
“I also believe that Lucky, who thrives in big events like this, is the player who will once again surprise people with his ability to string together multi-kills and close out rounds.”
If Maka hits star form and Lucky delivers the kind of high-impact moments he’s known for, 3DMAX suddenly start to look less like a fringe playoff hopeful and more like a genuine breakout threat.
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The margins at a Major are razor-thin. For CND, 3DMAX live precisely in that space: not a locked-in favorite, not a long shot, but a team with the tools to punch above their seeding if everything lands at once.
They’ve survived burnout, retooled their leadership, and accepted the constraints of a shallow local talent pool. Now, in Budapest, with fresh legs and clear roles, they finally have a chance to show whether this long-running French project can step out of the shadows and become one of the defining stories of the Major.
