logo
Menu
CS2
CS2
CyberSport News
Updated 2024-10-29
1257

SAW Win First-Ever LAN At ESL Challenger's Katowice

Muhammad Shahrayar Sheikh is a news writer at cyber-sport.io who covers the latest news in the Counter-Strike 2 sphere. Amongst the many games he grew up playing, Counter-Strike 1.6 was...
6 min read
On October 29th, 2024, SAW, short for Stay a Warrior, the Portuguese esports organization took home their first LAN trophy in Counter-Strike 2 after winning ESL Challenger’s Katowice. The team has had a phenomenal run throughout the tournament, having fortunate matchups but also having the capability to close things out. In fact, they are the only team that went completely undefeated the entire tournament.
Tweet Share on Facebook Copy link Send via Email
22 Bet

Looking back at their track record over the tournament, they first beat BB 13-10 in the best-of-one group stages, and then two days later, best Monte in a very intense game to rematch BB in the grand finals. Given that they had beaten BB before, they knew they could do it again and that’s exactly what they did as they delivered a 2-0 defeat. BB, of course, was a formidable team by every metric, especially since they beat Eternal Fire twice throughout the tournament, consistently towering over them.

SAW Win First-Ever LAN At ESL Challenger's Katowice

The redemption run

SAW has seen its fair share of troubles get to this point. Very few were expecting them to reach the grand finals, much less win it, as the Portuguese team arrived in Poland after losing Rafael "⁠arrozdoce⁠" Wing and coach Danny "⁠BERRY⁠" Krüger two weeks prior. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg as their problems began much earlier in the year. 


 

SAW had a good start to 2024 - the team had ramped up much momentum as they made it to the top 10 in global rankings after reaching the semi-finals at IEM Cologne. However, uneasiness seeped into fans as the team also lost in the semi-finals of ESL Challenger’s Atlanta, a tournament where they were the favourites to win. Shortly afterwards, fans were hit with shocking news as SAW decided to bench anchor/lurker “arrozdoce,” having expressed an interest in leaving the team at the end of the year, with Ag1l arriving as a replacement. 


 

Things had hit rock bottom at SAW as Christopher "⁠MUTiRiS⁠" Fernandes explained in a pre-recorded interview: "In Atlanta our team was kinda destroyed inside. People don't see that because they are not inside the team, but the mood was not really good. Right now I think we're bouncing back from back then, day by day people seem more happy, we are improving on the days that we have practices, and that is really important for our confidence.”


 

"When I say that we need time, it is really what we need because we are growing, but of course you can't find the solutions all the time. Sometimes you're struggling on some maps and that is what is happening to us. I don't want to change a lot because Ag1l is here for two or three weeks and if we come to a tournament, we do a game with a lot of anti-strats, it isn't going to feel comfortable. So we're going to try and find our game; if we play with confidence, we have a chance," he added.


 

Seeing the ups and downs at SAW makes us appreciate their victory at ESL Challenger’s Katowice. After juggling so many roster changes just before a tournament, confidence is the last thing a team is expected to have, but the Portuguese somehow showed up and proved everyone wrong. Their performance at the grand final was especially dominant as they took Ancient 13-3 and Nuke 13-5. Every player on the team performed exceptionally, boasting a positive KD and a rating higher than 1.0. 

 

The following are the detailed stats of each player on the occasion of the grand final:

1. Christopher 'MUTiRiS' Fernandes

K/D: 30/15

+/-: +15

ADR: 91.9

Rating: 1.56

2. João 'story' Vieira

K/D: 31/15

+/-: +16

ADR: 93.3

Rating: 1.46

3. Ricardo 'roman' Oliveira

K/D: 31/18

+/-: +12

ADR: 93.1

Rating: 1.45

4. Michel 'ewjerkz' Pinto

K/D: 21/18

+/-: +3

ADR: 66.8

Rating: 1.18

5. André 'Ag1l' Gil

K/D: 20/17

+/-: +3

ADR: 69.4

Rating: 1.05

Tweet Share on Facebook Copy link Send via Email
Muhammad Shahrayar Sheikh

More articles

Best Hellcase Cases to Open in 2026 (Plus How Daily & Free Cases Work)

With so many case alternatives available at various price ranges, choosing the right Hellcase case becomes a daunting task. We analyzed dozens of Hellcase cases based on your budget, the quality of the item pool, and their capacity to offer sustained resale value. This guide will organize our top-case choices for 2026 by budget category and provide instructions about claiming both the daily and free cases without the myth.

January 26, 2026
CS2 Sensitivity Converter: Adjust Your Settings Easily
CS2 Sensitivity Converter: Adjust Your Settings Easily
February 27, 2025
How to Get Access to CS2 in 2025
How to Get Access to CS2 in 2025
October 29, 2024
Best CS2 Video Settings
Finding the best CS2 settings can improve your gameplay experience and, in turn, lead you to win more games. However, there are numerous game settings to choose from, and not all players have the time to tinker with them one by one. I’ve taken the time to experiment with the different and find the best optimized ones, so you don’t have to. Here are my best CS2 video settings to help you increase your FPS and game quality.
January 09, 2025
Top 10 CS2 Workshop Maps in 2026

Playing on the same maps in CS2 all the time can get boring very quickly. You go on the same maps provided by Valve, and you already know every little corner there and every strategy other players use to win. This is why the community tried to make the universe more fun and attractive. The Steam Workshop gives you more options to explore with your friends. Maps can let you relax and take a break from the competitive scene, explore, or just help you train to prepare you for more challenges. If you have never done this before, perhaps you don’t know what CS2 workshop maps to choose. This article will present ten cool options to banish boredom and give you top experiences with the game.

November 11, 2024
What are the most popular games with CS2 skins?
What are the most popular games with CS2 skins?
April 10, 2025
Top 10 CS2 Workshop Maps in [year]
Top 10 CS2 Workshop Maps in 2026
November 11, 2024
What are the most popular games with CS2 skins?
What are the most popular games with CS2 skins?
April 10, 2025