SAW is ready for its second appearance in the EPL.
SAW is preparing for its second experience in the ESL Pro League (EPL) and esports.gg spoke with team captain Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes.
The team's last participation was in Season 17 with Tiago "JUST" Moura from KOI on the team. With Rafael "arrozdoce" Wing on the team for a year, MUTiRiS said that SAW is going through its best moment ever.
"We'll have Major, EPL, and BLAST. This is tier 1. With these tournaments, we start to normalize these things, but [what] we are doing is not normal. This is SAW's and [the] Portuguese scene's best moment. We are at this level, but we want to step forward, and that's the most difficult part."
MUTiRiS and SAW's last-minute invite to EPL
It’s a historic moment for both the Portuguese CS2 team and scene. For EPL Season 19, SAW was invited at the last minute due to changes at Cloud9. After Cloud9 chose to leave the competition, the Portuguese team was chosen as the replacement based on the rankings.
The news reached the team a week before the competition started. For MUTiRiS, the late EPL invitation only meant good things.
SAW's EPL group stage
For MUTiRis and SAW, the EPL group is "accessible." It's a group that brings together European teams that know each other very well.
"It's a good group. We’ll play against 3DMax. We know they are a good team [since they] won against us two weeks ago. Although, we know it will be a balanced match. [Despite previous results,] we know we have more quality. The group is accessible because we already evolved as a team, and we think we [are at] a good level to play against these teams. This is all blah, blah, blah. What really matters is in [the] server."
A Major experience
Participation in the Major was a historic milestone for SAW and the Portuguese scene. In the Opening Stage of PGL Major Copenhagen, the team was 2-0 and just a best-of-three (Bo3) away from progressing to the next stage. Three consecutive defeats left the team 2-3.
It was an experience that could be traumatic for the team and should be taken into account for future competitions. For MUTiRiS in this EPL, "time heals everything."
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