FISSURE Playground 3 continues with the Group A Lower bracket semifinal between 9z and G2. The winner advances to the Lower bracket final for a shot at a playoff quarterfinal slot, while the loser is eliminated from the tournament entirely. 9z rank 13th in the world. G2 sit just above them at 7th, and this elimination match carries real stakes for both sides.
Format & Tournament Specifics
This match is the Lower bracket semifinal of Group A at FISSURE Playground 3. The pressure is high on both sides here: the winner keeps a path into the playoffs alive, but the loser goes home. The event takes place in Suzhou, with a $1,000,000 prize pool on the line.
Current Form
9z — struggling against elite opposition
9z’s recent stretch has been rough. They’ve dropped four of their last five series, with only a clean win over 5star to show for it. Their losses to Vitality and MOUZ, in particular, highlight real struggles against top-tier competition right now.
The standout player is luchov. He posts a 1.10 rating, 0.71 kills per round, 0.69 deaths per round, 71.2% KAST, a 1.11 multi-kill rating, +0.42% round swing, and 77.6 ADR. Alongside dgt, max, meyern, and HUASOPEEK, he remains the roster’s most reliable individual performer, even amid the team’s rough form.
Recent results:
- 9z 0:2 MIBR
- 9z 2:0 5star
- 9z 0:2 Vitality
- 9z 0:2 MOUZ
- 9z 1:2 magic
G2 — inconsistent, but with wins over quality teams
G2’s form has been mixed as well, but their wins over BIG, Aurora, and Natus Vincere show more bite than 9z’s recent stretch. The losses to Astralis and Falcons keep them from looking like a fully settled unit, though.
Their key player is HeavyGod. He posts a 1.13 rating, 0.68 kills per round, 0.64 deaths per round, 73.9% KAST, a 1.16 multi-kill rating, +1.32% round swing, and 75.7 ADR — ahead of luchov in rating, KAST, and multi-kill rating, though luchov edges him slightly on raw damage.
Recent results:
- G2 2:1 BIG
- G2 1:2 Astralis
- G2 0:2 Falcons
- G2 2:1 Aurora
- G2 2:0 Natus Vincere
VRS forecast: 9z currently sit at 1609pt (#9), while G2 sit ahead at 1722pt (#8). A 9z win would add +40pt but wouldn’t move their rank, keeping them at #9. A loss, on the other hand, would cost them -14pt, also leaving them at #9. For G2, a win would add +26pt, holding steady at #8. A loss would cost them -18pt, still keeping them at #8 as well.
Map Pool & Veto
Win rate over the past 3 months (9z | G2):
- Cache: 67% (3 maps) | 33% (3 maps)
- Dust2: 50% (12 maps) | 25% (8 maps)
- Mirage: 50% (8 maps) | 78% (9 maps)
- Inferno: 50% (8 maps) | 78% (9 maps)
- Nuke: 44% (9 maps) | — (0 maps)
- Ancient: 33% (3 maps) | 33% (9 maps)
- Anubis: — (0 maps) | 33% (6 maps)
Expected veto: 9z will likely try to remove Mirage or Inferno, since G2 hold a strong 78% win rate on both across large nine-map samples, while 9z sit at just 50% on each. G2, in turn, have a clear reason to target Dust2, where 9z post a healthy 50% across a huge twelve-map sample compared to G2’s own weak 25%. Cache stands out as the one map where 9z actually hold the edge, at 67% against G2’s 33%, so it could survive the veto as 9z’s preferred pick.
Prediction
9z do have paths here — Cache is a genuine strength, and their larger Dust2 sample suggests real comfort on that map. However, G2 look like the stronger side across the board right now. Their Mirage and Inferno numbers are excellent, HeavyGod is outperforming luchov in most key categories, and their recent wins over BIG, Aurora, and Natus Vincere show more consistency than 9z’s current stretch, which includes losses to three of the last four opponents they’ve faced. So, if G2 secure Mirage or Inferno and avoid a Cache trap, they should be the ones advancing to the Lower bracket final.
Projected result: G2 2–0 9z
