Inner Circle has continued the trend of upset results at BLAST Bounty Season 1 2026, defeating 3DMAX in the Round of 32.
The Ukrainian team scored a 2-1 victory over the all-French roster to book its place in the Round of 16.
Inner Circle Springs Surprise
After unveiling its roster just four days before the tournament, Inner Circle headed into its opening match as clear underdog against a 3DMAX side armed with a wealth of experience at high-profile events.
Inner Circle kicked off Ancient on the front foot, securing eight attacking rounds in the first half. Although 3DMAX closed the deficit with four consecutive offensive rounds of its own in the second half, the underdogs halted any momentum with a string of defensive holds to close out a 13-9 win.
3DMAX responded on its map pick, Nuke, with Bryan ‘Maka‘ Canda topping the scoreboard with 33 eliminations to his name. After 24 rounds, both sides were inseparable, forcing overtime to determine the winner. Three defensive round wins in overtime made the difference for the French side, which took Nuke 16-13 to level the series.
Dust II was a one-sided contest, with Inner Circle displaying impressive defensive prowess in the first half to earn an 8-4 lead. Even during the second half, the Ukrainian attack was more than capable of breaching through any 3DMAX defence, winning five offensive rounds to seal a 13-6 map win and a 2-1 series victory.
The result continues the trend of surprise outcomes during the online closed qualifiers. Earlier, EYEBALLERS eliminated FaZe Clan on the event’s opening day, while Monte knocked out NAVI on day two.
Is the Loss Concerning for 3DMAX?
After finishing second at the CS Asia Championships 2025, 3DMAX struggled to capitalise on its momentum. The team managed only top-16 placements across three consecutive Tier 1 tournaments to end 2025 with further sub-par showings.
Following elimination from BLAST Bounty, 3DMAX’s busy start to 2026 continues at IEM Kraków 2026, as it seeks to rebuild momentum with the IEM Cologne Major approaching.
