SAW have won LeonBet Masters Season 1 after defeating Fluxo 2-1 in the grand final in Vila Nova de Gaia. The Portuguese team took its own Cache pick 13-7, lost Dust2 9-13 and recovered on Nuke with a 13-8 finish to secure the trophy and $17,198 first prize.
The title completed a clean playoff run for SAW, who also beat MOUZ NXT and RBLS 2-0 before the final. João “story” Vieira supplied the largest individual volume against Fluxo with 52 kills and 82.7 average damage per round, helping the team close the decisive map after the series had been tied.
LeonBet Masters brought fifteen teams to a ranked LAN in Portugal and offered a $34,402 prize pool. SAW entered through open registration and began the event far below several opponents in the projected standings, making the championship valuable both as a home title and as a source of Valve Regional Standings points.
The final required a different response from the earlier playoff rounds. MOUZ NXT and RBLS had not taken a map from SAW, while Fluxo answered the opening loss and forced a decider. SAW therefore had to prove that the run could survive a setback rather than depending on uninterrupted momentum.
SAW recover from Dust2 to control the Nuke decider
Cache rewarded SAW’s map choice. A 13-7 victory gave the Portuguese side the first advantage and placed Fluxo under immediate pressure on its own pick. Fluxo responded on Dust2, turning the series with a 13-9 win and ensuring that neither team’s preferred map would decide the championship by itself.
Nuke became the complete test. Fluxo led 7-5 at the half, but SAW changed the match after the side switch and allowed only one further round. The 13-8 close showed the composure of a lineup able to reset after losing Dust2 and after beginning the final map from behind.
SAW’s path to the trophy can be summarized in three playoff steps:
- A 2-0 quarter-final victory over MOUZ NXT opened the single-elimination run.
- Another 2-0 against RBLS placed SAW in the grand final without a playoff map loss.
- The 2-1 win over Fluxo required SAW to recover after losing Dust2 and trailing at halftime on Nuke.
- story finished the final with 52 kills and 82.7 average damage per round.
The final also demonstrated the value of SAW’s veto depth. Mirage was removed first, but the team still won on Cache and Nuke while competing closely enough on Dust2 to avoid a collapse. A three-map final places pressure on every prepared choice, and SAW found its strongest closing stretch on the map left over after both teams’ picks.
Fluxo leave with $6,881 for second place after a credible tournament of their own. The Brazilian lineup was able to halt SAW’s map streak and create a live decider, yet it could not protect the halftime advantage on Nuke. The decisive eight-to-one second half belonged to SAW.
For story, the 52-kill total reflects consistent involvement across all three maps. His output did not eliminate the need for team structure, but it gave SAW a reliable source of damage while the series moved from a comfortable opener to a contested final map.
The home title produces a major rise in SAW’s VRS projection
The tournament overview projected a gain of 456 VRS points for SAW and a move from 161st to 51st. Placements can still be recalculated as other events finish, but the scale of that increase explains why winning a ranked LAN against a field containing higher-positioned teams matters so much.
SAW earned the maximum available placement value while also collecting the largest prize share. The result gives the rebuilt roster a concrete reference point: it has now won a fifteen-team LAN, defeated international opposition and handled a final that required an in-series recovery.
The challenge is to make the rise sustainable. One event can change a ranking quickly, but future invitations and seedings depend on maintaining results after the immediate title points enter the table. SAW have improved their position; the next tournaments will show whether they can defend it.
| Stage | Opponent | SAW result | Key outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | MOUZ NXT | 2-0 | Advanced without dropping a map |
| Semi-final | RBLS | 2-0 | Reached the grand final |
| Grand final | Fluxo | 2-1 | Won the championship |
| Final decider | Nuke | 13-8 | Closed after trailing 5-7 at halftime |
SAW’s LeonBet Masters title combined a perfect early playoff run with the resilience required in the final. After Fluxo leveled the match on Dust2, SAW transformed the second half of Nuke and completed a 2-1 victory in front of a Portuguese event setting.
The team leave with $17,198, a trophy and a substantial projected VRS gain. Those rewards make the event a meaningful step for the roster, while the manner of the final provides evidence that SAW can win even after their initial plan is interrupted.
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