June 4th
Group Stage B vs C
A hush comes over the auditorium as the match countdown starts. As the sun sets in Shanghai, sixteen of the world’s best PUBG teams anxiously await as the second day of the PGS 4 Group Stage is about to kick off.
Even though it’s the second day of the tournament, Twisted Minds is in Group C - so it’s their first day of play.
The squad of xmpl, BatulinS, Lu and Perfect1ks get off to a slow start in the first match of their tournament, with a ninth place finish in Miramar. Nevertheless, the team finds some momentum in the subsequent matches, with a third place finish in Match 2, and a second place finish in Match 4 following an epic, prolonged team fight against NewHappy.
The squad finishes their first day with 38 points. Considering that most teams would consider 60 points to be the “safe” minimum amount needed to qualify for the finals, it is a pretty respectable performance - and while nothing is guaranteed, there is a relatively simple path for Twisted Minds to qualify to the finals if they can keep their momentum and earn a similar amount of points during the next - and final - day of the Group Stage.
June 5th
Group A vs C
Something that makes this year’s PGS Format unique is the omission of a Lower Bracket. Without the fallback of the Lower Bracket to rely on, teams really have to nail their performance in the Group Stage if they want to qualify to the Finals.
With that in mind, the team is almost certainly feeling the pressure - as a poor performance in this final day of the Group Stage could be the end of the road in their tournament journey.
Thankfully, Twisted Minds manage to keep up most of the momentum, earning enough consistently high finishes to net them a further 31 points. Finishing the Group Stage with a total of 69 points, Twisted Minds qualify to the Finals in 13th place.
Compared to their dominant run in the PGS 3 Group Stage, Twisted Minds’ momentum in the PGS 4 Group Stage seems slower. Finishing in the middle of the pack has never been Twisted Minds’ style, but still, the team has qualified for the Finals - and after all, it’s a team’s placement in the Finals that actually determines their overall position in the tournament.
All eyes are on Twisted Minds to find their footing going into Day 1 of the Grand Finals. The team needs to bounce back from their latest runner-up finish in PGS 3 and kick things into high gear if they want to finally claim a Global tournament title.
June 7th
Grand Finals, Day 1
It’s crunch time. 18 Matches over a 3-day weekend to determine who will be the Champion of PGS 4.
Twisted Minds comes out of the gate swinging. Their first match of the Finals is a statement - not only finishing the match in third, but cleaning up shop with 11 kills. It puts them on top of the leaderboard.
In the second match, Twisted Minds comes face to face with Virtus.pro. Even though Lu, Perfect1ks and xmpl fall in the ensuing teamfight, BatulinS manages to get away. Even as a solo player, BatulinS is a force to be reckoned with - before he gets fragged, he outlasts all of Virtus.pro as well as four other teams - and even picks up 3 kills of his own.
This is the core of Twisted Minds’ exceptional consistency. Even in bad situations, or bad circle shifts, the team routinely defies expectations - all while making sure to take the maximum advantage possible when things do go in their favour.
The rest of Day 1 of the Finals unfolds similarly, with Twisted Minds’ putting up a stellar performance - which ends up being much improved compared to their showing in the Group Stage. They finish Day 1 on 58 points in second place - right behind breakout stars eArena, who lead the pack with 71 points.
June 8th
Grand Finals, Day 2
It’s clear that Twisted Minds are back to their old selves. Although they don’t get any chicken dinners on Day 2, the squad seems to be in the top 4 of most games, demonstrating once again the shocking consistency for which the team is known.
But, Twisted Minds has a problem. Their “old selves” haven’t won a global tournament yet, and eArena is taking home Chicken Dinners. After six tense matches - most of which were dominated by either team - Twisted Minds finishes the day in second place overall with 115 points. Now, there’s only a small gap between them and eArena in first place with 122 points.
Even though the gap between Twisted Minds and first place has narrowed, the team will still have to put on a stratospheric performance tomorrow if they want to leapfrog eArena and take the championship title.
June 9th
Grand Finals, Day 3
It’s now or never - and the top three teams are exceedingly close on the leaderboard. In the first match of the day, eArena loses two players at the hands of Virtus.pro at the very beginning of the match. This should be a pivotal moment for Twisted Minds, but they bow out of the first match in 11th, so they can’t yet significantly close the gap.
Both teams play well, but eArena seems to be playing better in the two matches that follow. By the time Match 15 is over, they’ve extended their lead over Twisted Minds - with a 0-point game from Twisted Minds, eArena is now ahead by 21 points.
In Match 16, TSM lands an out-of-this-world mortar battery on eArena. They’re out of the match in 14th place, with 0 points scored. Twisted Minds seize the opportunity, and score their first Chicken Dinner of the entire tournament. The gap narrows.
In Match 17, history repeats itself. Forced out of Rozhok by the zone, eArena crosses the northeastern bridge and are ambushed by HOWL and Bleed Esports who have been lying in wait. They’re out of the match in 12th place. From the centre of the circle, Twisted Minds perseveres and gets the better of Virtus.pro in an epic final teamfight which sees Perfect1ks go on a massive flank of VP’s compound. This is what Twisted Minds needs, and not a second too late.
Victory is within touching distance for Twisted Minds as the plane flies into the final match of the tournament. With a 25-point lead secured by Twisted Minds, eArena will need a miracle to be in with a chance of winning the tournament. But, after eArena gets knocked out of the match in 11th following a brief teamfight with Petrichor Road, there’s nothing they can do - and Twisted Minds’ destiny as the PGS 4 Champions is sealed.
Congratulations to Twisted Minds on their PGS 4 Tournament win!
