Wildcard have eliminated NRG from iBUYPOWER Masters FML 2026 after winning the Group A decider in straight maps. The result sent Wildcard into the playoff stage of the Las Vegas LAN and left NRG in fifth-sixth place, despite the teams having produced the opposite outcome when they met in the opening round.
The rematch turned on controlled finishes rather than a single runaway map. Wildcard closed Mirage 13-10 and followed with a 13-9 victory on Cache. Jadan “HexT” Postma set the pace with a series-leading 1.55 Rating 3.0, while Danny “Cxzi” Strzelczyk and Sebastian “fr3nd” Kuśmierz provided the supporting output that kept NRG under pressure across both maps.
That collective performance made the upset more meaningful than a narrow bracket escape. Wildcard had lost 0-2 to NRG in the opening match, so the decider tested whether the team could correct its approach within the same tournament. Instead of allowing the first result to define the matchup, Wildcard returned with better individual production and won the series that carried the larger consequence.
For NRG, elimination came after a group stage in which the margin for recovery had already disappeared. The event used a GSL best-of-three format, meaning the decider was the final route into the single-elimination playoffs. Losing both maps ended NRG’s campaign and awarded Wildcard the remaining Group A playoff place.
HexT and Cxzi drive a decisive Wildcard response
HexT finished the series with 38 kills against 22 deaths and an 80.0 percent KAST, converting his activity into the highest rating in the server. Cxzi actually recorded one more kill, ending at 39-31 with a 1.30 rating. Their numbers describe two different forms of pressure: HexT was exceptionally difficult to remove, while Cxzi supplied the volume Wildcard needed to keep the rounds moving.
fr3nd added a 1.21 rating and a 34-24 record, giving Wildcard a third positive contributor. That depth mattered because neither map was one-sided. Mirage reached 13-10 and Cache ended 13-9, scores that left room for NRG to recover if Wildcard’s leading players had faded late in either half.
The main performance markers from the decider were clear:
- Wildcard won Mirage 13-10 before completing the series on Cache, 13-9.
- HexT led the match with a 1.55 rating and a 38-22 kill-death record.
- Cxzi produced 39 kills and a 1.30 rating, while fr3nd finished at 1.21.
- Sonic was NRG’s best-rated player at 1.23, but the rest of the lineup could not match Wildcard’s leading trio.
NRG did have a stable reference point in Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek, whose 1.23 rating was comfortably the team’s best. Jeorge Endicott and Håkon “hallzerk” Fjærli each posted 1.03, but Nick “nitr0” Cannella ended at 0.90 and Michael “Grim” Wince at 0.62. Against three Wildcard players at 1.21 or higher, that distribution left too much of the burden on a single performer.
The contrast with the opening series also shows the value of tournament adjustment. Wildcard had lost that meeting 0-2, yet the team did not need to erase the entire event plan to reverse the outcome. The decider scores suggest a side that found enough improvements in preparation, calling and execution to win the important closing rounds on both maps.
Wildcard’s reward was a place alongside M80 and group winners Liquid and DENDELE in the playoff field. The transition also changed the nature of the event. The GSL safety net disappeared, and every remaining best-of-three became an elimination series.
NRG leave Las Vegas with a costly fifth-sixth finish
NRG’s placement carried a direct competitive and financial consequence. Fifth-sixth at the ranked LAN paid $1,250, while the teams advancing into the four-team playoff still had access to the larger awards in the $30,000 prize pool. More importantly, NRG missed the chance to add another deep result at a point when ranked events can affect the wider qualification picture.
The loss should not be reduced to one poor statistic. NRG stayed within reach on both maps, but Wildcard consistently received more from the upper half of the scoreboard. When a short LAN reaches its deciding group series, that balance often matters more than the earlier head-to-head result because there is no later round available to repair the damage.
Wildcard, meanwhile, turned an opening defeat into proof that the matchup was not settled. Their next task was to carry the same coordination into the single-elimination bracket, where the format offered no second chance. The decider did not award a trophy, but it kept every possible tournament outcome open for the winning side.
| Team or player | Decider result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | 2-0 win | Advanced to the playoffs |
| NRG | 0-2 loss | Finished fifth-sixth |
| HexT | 1.55 rating | Highest-rated player in the series |
| Cxzi | 39-31 | Most kills in the series |
| Sonic | 1.23 rating | Led NRG individually |
Wildcard’s 2-0 victory was both an upset and a successful correction. After losing the opening encounter, the team returned in the Group A decider with three strong individual performances and closed two competitive maps without allowing the series to reach a third.
NRG therefore leave iBUYPOWER Masters FML in fifth-sixth place, while Wildcard move into the single-elimination playoffs. The decisive difference was not one isolated highlight but the sustained output of HexT, Cxzi and fr3nd when the rematch carried elimination stakes.
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