SAW's Portuguese Armada: From 0-2 to BLAST Premier Spring Final

I still get chills thinking about SAW's run through the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown in March 2024. From where I sit in 2026, that Portuguese squad didn't just qualify for a tournament; they kicked the door open for an entire region. They beat Team Liquid, Cloud9, and OG to claim one of two spots in the BLAST Premier Spring Final. London was calling, and SAW answered with a 2-0 in every single series. Let me tell you, that kind of clean sweep doesn't happen by accident.

The Showdown gauntlet

SAW opened against Team Liquid. On paper, Liquid had the bigger names and the louder fanbase. On the server, SAW had the better team. A 2-0 victory set the tone. The youngest piece of the puzzle, Rafael 'arrozdoce' Wing, played like he had been on this stage for years. He wasn't just filling space; he was dictating rounds. Liquid's poor form was a factor, sure, but SAW made them pay for every mistake.

Next came Cloud9. Same story, different opponent. arrozdoce was once again the name on everyone's lips. Cloud9's Russian core had stars who simply didn't show up at their expected level. SAW smelled blood and closed it out 2-0. One game left. One spot left. You could feel the momentum building.

OG, a stand-in, and a ticket to London

Hours before the decisive match against OG, the European side announced that Nikita 'HeavyGod' Martynenko would miss the game due to health reasons. Alexandru 's0und' Ștefan from Nexus stepped in as a stand-in. Honestly, that kind of last-minute change can rattle any roster. OG still had firepower, but SAW had belief.

The series wasn't a total walkover. SAW struggled on the second map. Yet they found wins on Ancient and Overpass, closing the series and punching their ticket to London. That's the thing about this team: they didn't need perfection. They needed grit, and they had it in buckets.

The streak that changed everything

Let's rewind a bit. Before this Showdown run, SAW had been 0-2 at the RMR. Most teams fold there. SAW didn't. They turned it around, qualified for the PGL Major CS2 Copenhagen, and then refused to lose a series. Eight consecutive series wins. That's not a fluke. That's a statement.

SAW joined FaZe, Vitality, and G2 in the BLAST Premier Spring Final. The event took place in London in June. For Portuguese Counter-Strike, this wasn't just a qualification. It was a flag planted in the ground. In 2026, when I look at the Portuguese scene, I still see the shadow of that run. It gave young players a reason to believe. It gave veterans a reminder that form is temporary but belief is everything.

Here's what SAW proved in that run:

• Portuguese Counter-Strike can stand toe-to-toe with the biggest orgs.

• A young player like arrozdoce can become the name of the moment on a global stage.

• A 0-2 RMR start doesn't have to be a death sentence.

I keep coming back to that last point. So many teams crumble after a bad start. SAW used it as fuel. They didn't just survive; they thrived. And by the time they reached London, they were playing with house money and still winning. That is the kind of story that makes Counter-Strike so addictive. It isn't always about the biggest budget or the loudest roster. Sometimes it is about a group of players who simply refuse to lose.

You know what? I miss watching that SAW lineup in that exact moment. The way they celebrated. The way arrozdoce smiled. The way the whole Portuguese armada seemed to say: we belong here. And they did. They absolutely did.

Stay tuned for more CS2 stories, because the scene never stops moving.