PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Grand Final Preview: MOUZ to Beat Stage Nerves?

We’re in unchartered territory, ladies and gentlemen. Falcons are on the verge of winning a trophy in Counter-Strike. Not like some Mickey Mouse prize, either – a real trophy with prestige that actually matters. I can hardly believe it myself, but that’s the reason they’re paying NiKo the big bucks. The PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Grand Final is here, with MOUZ taking on Falcons for the big prize. Let’s look at some narratives, shall we?

MOUZ will need xertioN and torzsi online for this one

When I think of all of MOUZ’s brushes with glory over the last year or so, I’m always drawn to two players in particular: xertioN and torzsi. As MOUZ’s biggest stars, they’re the ones who will be called upon to dig them out of tough spots when things aren’t looking too hot. Yet, I won’t be the first to tell you that on stage, these two have disappeared all too often when the going gets tough.

That’s why if MOUZ are to have any chance of winning PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, they need xertioN and torzsi online. Falcons are a good team showing solid fundamentals in their Counter-Strike, so fading stars for MOUZ just won’t be enough in this one. Overcoming nerves to become champions in front of a crowd is a big ask, and a hurdle that has defeated many a great player previously. But if that’s not something torzsi and xertioN can do in tomorrow’s Grand Final, then they won’t win the event: simple.

Do Falcons win out in experience?

Yeah, I’m as surprised as you. Falcons beat FaZe Clan, who I very cleverly dubbed big favorites for PGL Cluj-Napoca throughout the event. Oh, well. I can’t be right all the time. In FaZe’s absence, we have Falcons, a team I thought was too early in its inception to have any chance of taking home the prize at this event. I have to say though, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve seen by Falcons so far.

No one is shirking responsibility on this lineup, and silly mistakes are few and far between. NiKo is, well, NiKo, a player so naturally gifted he could single-handedly make any roster relevant. The opportunity that awaits here is enormous – Falcons have never won a LAN in Counter-Strike, which they have continued to chase even as their success in other esports has grown. Now, just three tournaments into this fresh roster, the team are one best-of-five series away from breaking that duck for good. It’s a lot of pressure, sure. But with the experience of players like four-time Major winner Magisk and NiKo, I think they’re pretty well-equipped to deal with that.

My rants about how these two teams handle pressure aside, I think this one could be decided in the map pool, in which Falcons should have an advantage. The nature of these teams’ perma-bans means we’ll probably see Train come out early, which Falcons have already played in officials. MOUZ, however, have managed to avoid the map until this point, which should prove to be a significant advantage in this series.

If I had to hang my hat on one team here, I predict Team Falcons will win PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025. There’s just too much in their favor – I do reckon they could need all five maps to get the job done though.