The lower bracket of CS Asia Championships 2026 delivered two tense elimination series as MOUZ and Liquid both secured difficult 2-1 victories to stay alive in the tournament. MOUZ survived a dangerous battle against NRG despite playing with coach Damian “daps” Steele as a substitute, while Liquid edged past 3DMAX in another three-map marathon led by a huge performance from Keith “NAF” Markovic.
MOUZ recover after Ancient collapse against NRG
NRG entered the series with strong energy and immediately punished MOUZ on Ancient. The North American side looked far sharper on their own map pick, with Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek controlling mid-round situations and Grim consistently finding opening kills. Despite several comeback attempts from MOUZ, NRG closed Ancient 13-10 and took an early lead in the series.
Nuke completely changed the momentum. Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi took over the server as MOUZ dominated the CT side and repeatedly shut down NRG’s executes. NRG struggled heavily without their full lineup, while daps found himself constantly pressured in late-round situations. MOUZ comfortably equalized the series with a 13-6 victory.
The decider on Mirage remained competitive during the first half, but MOUZ slowly gained control through stronger trading and far cleaner defensive rotations. Spinx became the key difference-maker in the closing rounds, helping MOUZ secure a 13-9 victory and eliminate NRG from the tournament.
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Spinx leads MOUZ to survival
Lotan “Spinx” Giladi delivered the strongest performance of the series with a 1.23 rating and multiple crucial impact rounds across all three maps. torzsi also stepped up during Nuke with several important opening duels that completely shifted momentum back toward MOUZ.
For NRG, Sonic remained their best player throughout the match with a 1.17 rating, while Grim also produced several strong individual rounds despite the elimination.
Liquid outlast 3DMAX in another three-map battle
The second lower-bracket match between Liquid and 3DMAX turned into another close series. Liquid started strong on Nuke behind excellent T-side calling and aggressive openings from Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and NAF. The North American squad secured the opener 13-11 after several late-round clutch situations.
3DMAX responded confidently on Dust2. Bryan “Maka” Canda and Filip “Graviti” Brankovic repeatedly punished Liquid’s defensive setups, while the French side controlled the pace of the game from the very beginning. 3DMAX closed Dust2 13-9 to force a deciding map.
Inferno ultimately decided the series. Both teams traded momentum throughout the map, but Liquid looked calmer during the final rounds. NAF delivered multiple crucial multikills on the CT side, while Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek helped stabilize Liquid’s mid-round structure during the late comeback attempt from 3DMAX. Liquid eventually secured Inferno 13-11 and advanced further in the lower bracket.
NAF shines as Liquid stay alive
Keith “NAF” Markovic was the standout player of the series with a 1.34 rating, 90.3 ADR, and several critical rounds across all three maps. siuhy and EliGE also contributed heavily during the deciding Inferno map.
For 3DMAX, Maka continued his excellent individual form and finished the series with a 1.23 rating, but it was not enough to keep the French squad alive in the tournament.
VRS impact after the matches
The lower-bracket results also affected the Valve Regional Standings:
- MOUZ: +10 points → 1823 VRS points
- NRG: -2 points → 1299 VRS points
- Liquid: +66 points → 1259 VRS points
- 3DMAX: -21 points → 1508 VRS points
Liquid gained one of the biggest VRS boosts of the day, while MOUZ strengthened their top-five position after surviving elimination.
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What’s next?
With these victories, MOUZ and Liquid remain alive in the lower bracket and continue fighting for a playoff breakthrough at CS Asia Championships 2026. Meanwhile, NRG and 3DMAX leave the tournament after two hard-fought elimination series that once again highlighted how competitive the event has become.
