Monte and 9z secured two of the most important victories of the second Swiss round at PGL Astana 2026. The Ukrainian organization confidently defeated Magic 2-0 to stay alive in the tournament, while 9z delivered one of the biggest surprises of the event so far by taking down Falcons in a dramatic three-map series. Both matches had major implications for the Swiss standings and the Valve Regional Rankings, especially for teams fighting to stay inside the global top positions ahead of future invites.
Road through the Swiss stage
Monte now improve to a 1-1 record after bouncing back from their opening-round loss against FURIA. The victory keeps the Ukrainian organization alive in the playoff race heading into the next Swiss round.
Magic, meanwhile, fall to 0-2 after back-to-back defeats against The MongolZ and Monte, placing them on the edge of elimination.
9z continue one of the most surprising runs of the event so far. After defeating PARIVISION in the opening round, the South American squad now take down Falcons and improve to a perfect 2-0 record, moving one step away from playoff qualification.
Falcons drop to 1-1 after previously defeating K27 2-0 on day one. Despite entering the tournament as one of the favorites, the European roster now faces increasing pressure heading into the next stage of the Swiss bracket.
Monte outclass Magic to stay alive
Monte entered the series under pressure after their opening-round defeat against FURIA, but the team responded with a composed 2-0 victory over Magic. The European roster controlled both Ancient and Dust2 from start to finish, winning 13-11 and 13-7 respectively.
Ancient began as a relatively competitive map, with tenzy and sFade trying to keep Magic in the game through aggressive mid-round entries. However, Monte consistently found answers in late-round situations, where AZUWU and Rainwaker repeatedly shut down rotations and clutch attempts. Monte eventually secured the map 13-11 after a strong CT-side finish.
Dust2 quickly became far more one-sided. Monte’s T side completely overwhelmed Magic’s defenses, while Gizmy and afro repeatedly punished every aggressive setup around mid control. By the second half, the outcome already looked inevitable, as Monte comfortably closed the series 13-7.
Rainwaker leads Monte’s recovery
Aleks “Rainwaker” Petrov became the standout performer of the series with a 1.38 rating and several critical multi-kill rounds across both maps. AZUWU also delivered an excellent individual performance, while afro remained highly impactful with the AWP.
For Magic, only tenzy managed to finish the series above a 1.00 rating, while the rest of the lineup struggled heavily against Monte’s pace and trading.
9z shock Falcons in one of the biggest upsets of the Swiss stage
The second featured match delivered major drama as 9z defeated Falcons 2-1 in a tense three-map battle. After losing Nuke 8-13, the South American squad recovered on Mirage with a 13-9 victory before completely stunning Falcons on Dust2 with a dominant 13-1 finish.
Falcons looked comfortable early in the series and controlled Nuke behind strong performances from NiKo and m0NESY. However, the momentum completely shifted once the match moved to Mirage.
9z began playing with significantly more confidence, repeatedly exploiting weak rotations and forcing Falcons into uncomfortable retake situations. dgt and luchov constantly found impact openings, while Falcons’ structure slowly collapsed as the series progressed.
Dust2 turned into complete domination from the South American side. 9z shut down almost every offensive attempt from Falcons and gave the European superteam virtually no room to recover. The shocking 13-1 scoreline became one of the most surprising map results of the tournament so far.
dgt dominates Falcons
Franco “dgt” Garcia delivered an incredible individual performance and became the clear MVP of the series. The Uruguayan rifler finished with a 1.39 rating and consistently won crucial duels throughout the final two maps. Despite solid performances from NiKo and m0NESY, Falcons completely collapsed on Dust2, while karrigan struggled heavily throughout the series with a 0.57 rating.
VRS impact
The results also brought significant changes to the Valve Regional Standings:
Monte vs Magic
- Monte: +27 points → rise to #17
- Magic: -5 points → remain #47
Falcons vs 9z
- Falcons: -27 points → remain #4
- 9z: +41 points → rise to #13
With the Swiss stage becoming increasingly chaotic, every remaining series in Astana now carries enormous importance for both playoff qualification and future Major invitations.
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What comes next at PGL Astana 2026
As the Swiss stage continues to deliver major upsets and unpredictable results, the pressure inside the tournament keeps growing with every round. Monte successfully keep their playoff hopes alive after a critical recovery win, while 9z now stand just one victory away from securing a playoff spot following one of the biggest surprises of the event. Meanwhile, Falcons suddenly find themselves under serious pressure despite entering Astana as one of the tournament favorites, and Magic are now fighting for survival in the 0-2 bracket. With VRS points and future invites on the line, the next matches in Astana could completely reshape the tournament landscape.
