9z crush Aurora 13-1 on Nuke to seal Thunderpick upset

Aurora’s own map pick became the decisive blow. After edging Inferno 13-11, 9z won Nuke 13-1 to take their Thunderpick World Championship opener 2-0 in Malta on 14 October.

The veto record shows 9z chose Inferno and Aurora chose Nuke. Dust2 was left as the deciding map, but the series ended before it was needed. Luciano “luchov” Herrera finished with 38 kills and 20 deaths across the two maps.

A reversal after their last meeting

Aurora had beaten 9z 2-0 at ESL Pro League Season 24 on 3 October. HLTV also notes that 9z entered Malta after group-stage exits at four successive events: the Esports World Cup, BLAST Open Porto, FISSURE Playground 3 and ESL Pro League.

That makes this a useful change of direction for 9z, although one opening win cannot establish lasting form. The contrast between a close first map and a one-sided second map is what gives this result its weight: the team that lost their previous meeting finished the rematch with very little room for Aurora to respond.

Falcons next, while Aurora face elimination pressure

The day-one results set up 9z against Falcons in the Group A qualification match, while Aurora meet Ninjas in Pyjamas in the elimination match. The event uses best-of-three series in its double-elimination groups, so 9z still need another win to secure a playoff place. Aurora’s next series carries the risk of an early exit.