Double-elimination tournaments leave no room for hesitation. At this stage, every match is either a continuation of the fight or the final full stop in a team’s tournament story. This is where the true cost of a mistake is revealed.
Tournament context
IEM Kraków 2026 is a ranking LAN tournament of the Intel Extreme Masters series that directly affects the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Sixteen teams compete in a double-elimination Bo3 format, where a loss in the lower bracket means immediate elimination from the tournament.
The match between Falcons and 3DMAX took place in the lower bracket semi-final — a stage where there is no longer any margin for error.
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How the match unfolded — Falcons vs 3DMAX
Series score: 2:0 in favor of Falcons
- Anubis (3DMAX pick) — 13:5
Falcons completely broke their opponent’s game from the very first rounds. High tempo, aggressive pushes, and constant pressure on key positions prevented 3DMAX from establishing their attack. The French squad quickly lost control of their economy, and the map ended without any real contest. - Dust2 (Falcons pick) — 13:9
On their own map, Falcons played more pragmatically but no less confidently. They consistently won opening duels, controlled the middle of the map, and did not allow 3DMAX to string together rounds for a comeback. After the side switch, Falcons methodically closed out the match.
Player of the Match — Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin (Falcons)
- K–D: 43–25
- ADR: 108.2
- Rating 3.0: 1.87
Key impact: dominance in firefights, maximum efficiency in decisive rounds, and constant pressure that set the tempo for the entire series.
VRS results
- Falcons — +27 pt → 1912 pt. The victory strengthens the team’s position in the global top 5 and confirms the squad’s stability in the decisive stages of LAN events.
- 3DMAX — –5 pt → 1651 pt. The loss means not only elimination from the tournament but also a drop in ranking points, complicating the fight for direct invites going forward.
What’s next?
Lower final:
Falcons vs MOUZ — a match for the right to continue the playoff race. A loss will mean immediate elimination from IEM Kraków 2026.
3DMAX end their participation in the tournament after the loss in the lower bracket.
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Match summary
Falcons demonstrated complete control over the series, dropping no maps and not allowing 3DMAX to impose a competitive game. Their victory looks logical both in terms of individual form and team structure.
Falcons now advance to the lower final, where they will face MOUZ in a survival match, while IEM Kraków 2026 comes to an end for 3DMAX at the lower bracket stage.
