BETBOOM finished the group stage of FISSURE Playground 3 without a loss and advanced directly to the semi-final after victories over BIG, Astralis, and MIBR with identical 2:0 scores. Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin is satisfied with the team’s progress, but does not overestimate the 3:0 result: in his opinion, previous experience has already shown that a strong group stage guarantees nothing in the playoffs.
The work after Esports World Cup has started to bring results
After Esports World Cup 2026, BETBOOM spent a lot of time specifically on individual play, understanding macro, and reactions in different situations. S1ren believes that this work is already visible on the server, while the confident group-stage run became one of the first confirmations of progress.
After Esports World Cup, we worked quite a lot on individual play — on better understanding the game, macro situations, and things like that. I think now this is starting to bring results.
BETBOOM did not give their opponents a single map: first the team defeated BIG, then Astralis, and finished the group with a victory over MIBR. As a result, the roster avoided the quarter-final and received a direct place in the Semi-finals.
The match against Astralis became the toughest test
According to S1ren, the series against BIG went fairly comfortably, even if the score on individual maps was close. The team felt much more tension against Astralis — BETBOOM had previously never managed to beat this tag, so the match had an additional psychological factor.
The game against Astralis was already more difficult, and there was nervousness there. Historically, we had never beaten their tag before. Overall, the match was quite hard, although in my personal opinion, it should have gone much easier.
Against MIBR, the team also faced resistance, especially on Anubis. BETBOOM knew about the opponent’s strength on this map from practice, but still considered it the best choice for themselves and managed to close out the series.
The 3:0 result guarantees nothing in the playoffs
S1ren does not believe that a flawless group stage will automatically give BETBOOM an advantage in the next matches. The team has already had a similar experience in China: at the previous tournament in Guangzhou, they also finished the group 3:0, but then lost to FaZe in the playoffs with 2:13 and 2:13 scores.
I do not think that how you played in the group strongly affects how you will perform in the playoffs. You need to approach the match with a clear head, treat it simply as the next game, not think about previous results, and try to show your game.
That is why direct qualification to the semi-final is only a more convenient position in the bracket for BETBOOM, not a guarantee of a deep run. The team essentially needs to start the playoffs from zero and not turn the confidence of the group stage into overconfidence.
Stage experience should help against stronger opponents
S1ren acknowledges the difference between practice and official matches against teams at the level of FURIA, G2, or Legacy. In practice, BETBOOM can compete with such opponents, but playoffs on stage in front of spectators create a completely different level of pressure.
Over the last six months, we have reached the playoffs and played on stage quite often, so the experience we have accumulated should generally help us.
For the current roster, this is an important point. BETBOOM are no longer reaching the decisive stages of big tournaments for the first time, so the stage factor is gradually no longer something new — now the main thing is to learn how to use this experience for a stable result.
FISSURE Playground 3 is preparation for a big marathon
The team views the tournament in China not only as an opportunity to win a trophy and collect ranking points. In about 20 days, BETBOOM will set off on a long European tour, where three top-level tournaments in a row will await them.
We are one hundred percent using this tournament as a ramp-up, because literally in about twenty days we are heading off on a big trip through Europe for three S-tier tournaments in a row. Here, we are trying to build confidence in order to perform well there.
In this context, FISSURE Playground 3 becomes even more important. A successful playoff run can give BETBOOM not only another good result, but also the necessary psychological impulse before a much harder stretch of the season.
The missed Major hit S1ren hard
S1ren separately talked about the previous Major, which he had to miss because of visa problems. The player found out that the document would not be ready literally one day before the team’s departure, and that moment became a serious psychological blow for him.
That break was very hard for me mentally. I found out that I was not going to the Major literally one day before the guys left there. During the pause, I just tried to rest, come to my senses, went to a concert, tried to exhale and regain strength.
The break helped him reset a little, but S1ren himself does not consider it the reason for his progress. According to him, even without that, he understood what he needed to work on as a player and as a person, while the main effect of the pause was recovery after a difficult moment.
BETBOOM found a long-term visa solution
Document issues remained a serious risk before the upcoming European tournaments, but S1ren said that the team has already found a more stable solution. He did not reveal details, but expects that a similar situation should not happen again.
We found a long-term solution, and overall there should be no visa problems in the future.
For BETBOOM, this is especially important ahead of a series of international tournaments in the autumn. The team has already received a direct place in the semi-final of FISSURE Playground 3, and now has a chance to use this tournament as a launchpad before a much more difficult stretch of the season.
