SAW’s newly assembled international roster has made an impressive debut, overcoming HEROIC 2-1 in a closely contested series. After dropping their own map pick, Dust2, the Portuguese squad turned the match around, capitalizing on their opponent’s weaknesses on Train and Ancient to claim the win.

The battle remained competitive for much of the series, with four out of six halves being closely fought. However, HEROIC’s defensive performances on Train and Ancient proved costly, allowing SAW to exploit openings on both maps and turn the tide in their favor.

Following the victory, SAW’s head coach Maikil “Golden” Selim shared his thoughts with Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill, stating that the performance already showcased the team’s potential. The Swedish coach also highlighted his satisfaction with SAW’s two newest additions, expressing that he was “very impressed” with their contributions in the match.

SAW entered 2025 with uncertainty, having lost their star riflers late last year. While they managed to make the playoffs at PGL Cluj-Napoca, their lineup at the time was already set for changes. Many in the community doubted their ability to remain competitive after picking up relatively unknown players, Oscar “AZUWU” Bell and Jan “cej0t” Dyl, from Europe’s lower-tier scene. However, their opening performance against HEROIC suggests that the roster rebuild may already be paying off. Although the new signings had their struggles, both delivered solid performances that helped secure the victory.

Meanwhile, HEROIC’s difficulties on LAN have continued. While their online form has been strong, winning seven of nine matches so far this year, their performances at in-person events have been a completely different story. Across BLAST Bounty Finals, IEM Katowice Play-In, and now ESL Pro League, HEROIC has managed just one win in five matches.

This latest defeat was largely down to a disastrous defensive effort, particularly on their own pick, Train, where they failed to secure a single CT-side round. Their struggles persisted on Ancient, where they suffered a costly 2v4 loss midway through the half, leading to a complete collapse on defense.

Poor decision-making plagued HEROIC throughout the match, an issue that head coach Eetu “sAw” Saha pointed out in his post-match remarks. Once again, the team struggled with firepower outside of Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich, a recurring problem that has hindered their LAN performances this year.