Team Falcons, Niightmare Esports Exit as MSC Wildcard Heats Up
Team Falcons, Niightmare Esports Exit as MSC Wildcard Heats Up
RIYADH – Two hopefuls see their MSC 2025 dreams end as Team Falcons and Niightmare Esports suffers back-to-back losses in the Wildcard stage of the Esports World Cup.
With Group Stage elimination matches in full swing, ZETA DIVISION and The MongolZ lived to fight another day, while Rare Atom and Virtus.Pro punched their wildcard semifinal tickets.
MongolZ Eliminate Home Bet Falcons
Mongolia’s The MongolZ dismantled Team Falcons with a confident 2-0 sweep, ending the hometown squad’s MSC campaign earlier than expected.
In Game 1, The MongolZ ran a triple marksman setup with Kimmy, Karrie, and Yi Sun-Shin, shredding Falcons’ defenses in just 13 minutes. Lkhagvasuren “Mayki” Otgonbayar’s Kimmy led the charge with an 8/1/7 KDA, while Moayed “Trolll” Kharaba’s Badang was targeted repeatedly, falling eight times.
Mayki stayed hot in Game 2, this time on Zetian, dishing out two kills and 10 assists to lead a clean, 14-minute win. Falcons’ Hayabusa, played by Bien “Boyet” Chumacera, failed to find footing, ending with zero kills and two deaths.
The win keeps The MongolZ alive for the tournament. Team Falcons, meanwhile, miss out on 1,000 EWC club points in their title defense bid.
ZETA Outlasts Niightmare in Three-Game Thriller
ZETA DIVISION kept Japan’s hopes alive with a gritty 2-1 comeback win over Mekong representatives Niightmare Esports in the day’s final series.
Niightmare struck first behind a dominant Game 1 performance from Marcelino “I DID” Semontina Jr., whose Pharsa scored 9/2/11. ZETA couldn’t match the pressure as “muiminet” struggled on Bruno with only three kills.
ZETA turned things around in Game 2 thanks to a heroic defense by “june1.” His Lapu-Lapu absorbed four enemy ultimates during a crucial midlane clash, allowing his teammates to respawn and steal the lead.
Game 3 saw another anime-esque comeback effort from ZETA, with roamer “Kani” delivering a game-saving Shortcut using Chip. His well-timed interruption of a Niightmare push turned the tide, opening the door for a clean finish.
Rare Atom, Virtus.Pro Seal Semifinal Spots
Chinese side Rare Atom and Eastern Europe’s Virtus.Pro became the first teams to qualify for the crossover semifinals after winning their respective upper bracket matches.
Rare Atom looked sharp against Legion Esports, with Zhang “Cat9” Ye’s Hylos tallying 12 assists in Game 1 and Wang “Mikey” Zixuan’s Moskov posting 4/0/6 in Game 2 to close out the sweep.
Virtus.Pro battled through a three-game series against Influence Rage. Egor “superegorka” Bugaev starred in Game 1 with a perfect 7/0/5 Granger to start strong.
Influence Rage answered in Game 2, as Darien “Chan” Quiroz Barraza dropped the first savage of the tournament using Zhuxin, finishing with 10 kills in a 16–8 win.
But VP regained control in Game 3. They secured the evolved Lord at 17:55, picked off two key enemies, and marched down mid for a decisive push. Andrew “Andoryuuu” Flora capped the comeback with a maniac to seal the series.
Up Next
ZETA DIVISION will get another crack at Influence Rage for the last Group B semifinal slot. The winner will meet Rare Atom in the crossover semis.
Meanwhile, The MongolZ aim to avenge their earlier loss to Legion Esports, with the victor earning a date with Virtus.Pro in the Group A crossover.
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