I still remember where I was when Cloud9 and SAW turned a best-of-three into a cardiovascular stress test. It was March 2024, at the PGL Copenhagen Major — the first Counter-Strike 2 Major, with a $1.25 million prize pool and enough tension to power a small city. Here in 2026, I can confirm my therapist and I have discussed Nuke overtime. But let's rewind, because this match deserves a dramatic re-enactment, ideally with me gesturing wildly at a monitor while my cat judges me.

Cloud9 joined Heroic as the first two teams to qualify for the Elimination Stage from the groups. That sentence sounds like a bureaucratic announcement, but it meant Cloud9 and SAW were fighting for a spot, and only one could grab it. Both teams had already secured their best-of-one victories. Cloud9 then beat SAW in the series. SAW dropped to 2W and 1L at the Major, which is the kind of record that makes you say 'we are fine' while quietly sweating through your gaming chair.

Nuke was not a map. It was a hostage negotiation. electroNic and Perfecto had 29 and 27 kills, more than anyone else on the server. They held down their portions of the map, essentially choking SAW into certain zones. SAW won the first three rounds. Cloud9 pulled back with 7 of the remaining nine rounds in the half. In the second half, Cloud9 took the first three before SAW put their guns up and rattled off seven straight rounds. The map went into overtime. Then it went into more overtime. Four overtimes later, Cloud9 emerged as the victor. I aged four years, which in 2026 makes me legally ancient and spiritually composed of energy drink residue.

Anubis was a very T-sided affair. Boombl4 came clutch in many situations, partly due to his positioning and understanding of the enemy's movements. With 22 kills and a KAST of 81.8%, his positioning was crucial in supplementing his performance. SAW had players struggle to keep up with Cloud9's firepower. There were moments of brilliance, but quite often it was simply not enough. I respect that. I also respect any team that can lose four overtimes and still have the emotional bandwidth to queue into another best-of-three.

Here are the rosters, presented with the solemnity of a fantasy football draft:

Cloud9	SAW
Sergey 'Ax1Le' Rykhtorov	Christopher 'MUTiRiS' Fernandes
Abay 'HObbit' Khassenov	Ricardo 'rmn' Oliveira
Denis 'electroNic' Sharipov	Michel 'ewjerkz' Magalhães
Ilya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy	João 'story' Vieira
Kirill 'Boombl4' Mikhaylov	Rafael 'arrozdoce' Wing

With this victory, Cloud9 advanced to the Elimination Stage. SAW still had time and only needed one more victory to secure their spot. But with the PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major group stage unravelling, it might have been a tough task for SAW to win another best-of-three against stronger opponents. SAW finished in the top two at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. Despite facing off against some well-known teams, SAW's performance brought a lot to the table, partly due to their unique playstyle and their ability to depend on each other. The team also finished 6-8th in the RMR A, ultimately losing to Fnatic. Regardless, that is how they qualified for the PGL Copenhagen Major.

Meanwhile, Cloud9's Counter-Strike roster had seen some significant churning. While there had been a few notable exits, the team had also added some serious firepower. Despite the star-studded roster, the team had not been able to replicate the same levels of success as fans would expect. They finished in 5-8th place at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. Their RMR journey was slightly more successful as they topped European RMR B. This series between the two teams would hopefully see Cloud9 come into their elements. On average, the Cloud9 roster had more firepower and experience. With a star-studded roster, the potential for Cloud9 to put up a stellar performance over the next few weeks remained high.

The PGL Copenhagen Major featured the best Counter-Strike teams in action. As the first Counter-Strike 2 Major, there was a lot at stake in Copenhagen. The tournament also featured a sizeable $1.25 million prize pool, bringing something to the table for everyone. In 2026, looking back, I can say this match was a perfect time capsule for early CS2 chaos: absurd overtimes, star names, underdog grit, and me yelling 'just plant the bomb' at people who cannot hear me.

What did we learn? A few things, mostly through tears:

• A 3-0 start means nothing if the enemy team decides to become a wall.

• Four overtimes is not a strategy; it is a cry for help.

• Star power is great, but team cohesion is the cheat code that actually ships.

• SAW's ability to depend on each other was not just a nice narrative. It was a real weapon.

• Cloud9's firepower was terrifying when it clicked, and frustrating when it did not.

Would I watch this series again in 2026? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to someone with a heart condition? No. But I would tell them to watch the Nuke overtime anyway, because Counter-Strike is at its best when it makes absolutely no sense and somehow still feels inevitable. Cloud9 joined Heroic in the Elimination Stage, SAW kept fighting, and I kept refreshing the bracket like it owed me money. Some things never change, even in 2026.

Data referenced from Rock Paper Shotgun helps frame why early CS2 Major matches like Cloud9 vs SAW felt so volatile: with a new title at the top level, tiny shifts in utility timing, rotation reads, and economy damage can snowball into the kind of multi-overtime chaos seen on Nuke, where momentum swung from streaks to stalemates and individual anchors had to win rounds that “shouldn’t” be winnable.