NAVI spoil the FURIA party as FaZe start one of their own - Budapest Major playoffs

It was a day for surprises with both pre-game favourites checking out of their hotel a day or two earlier than expected.

MOUZ found themselves spellbound by FaZe's wizardry in a remarkable 2-0, while NAVI scythed through a pourous FURIA defence to turn the tournament favourites into mincemeat on Train.

FaZe looked back to their best with broky as the MVP - a sight for sore eyes - while FURIA looked to channel some of that magic through FalleN on Inferno, but couldn't sustain it on a horrendous third map.

The FaZe Clan magick is back and we're all for it.

That's not a misspelling; their magick is not of this world. It is dark, occult magic. It's not normal. They were seconds away from elimination to RED Canids in stage one, and now they're in the semi-finals.

Crazy voodoo.

They raced into a 9-3 lead in the first half of Nuke with broky and jcobbb - the most oft-criticised members of the team - combining for 21 kills, with jcobbb's glorious triple entry into the top site at the end of the half being a stand-out highlight for the youngster. broky kept it lowkey and collected his frags, as he always did at his best - just quietly dropping kill after kill and slowly choking MOUZ out.

MOUZ were incredibly disappointing in this quarter-final - a phrase we've had to write far too many times over the years - but nothing was more disappointing than their second half. They won eight in a row to inch ahead after being down so far, with Spinx winning what felt like a huge 1v2 to equalise the score, before falling foul to the FaZe pressure and losing the map.

They didn't stop there; their total collapse on the second map was akin to the England middle order in the Ashes. If you don't get that reference, imagine a giant panda getting in a hammock, and think about what might happen to the poor hammock.

FaZe won the second map 13-2, and MOUZ were sent packing.

The Major is the ultimate pressure cooker, and FURIA came out well done by an on-fire NAVI.

molodoy, who has been a revelation since joining the team, went completely missing (by his own admission he 'sucked' on the first two maps, but didn't get any better on the third) and was outshone by w0nderful back to his Copenhagen Major form.

NAVI were in sync, precise and explosive - all the things we've come to expect from FURIA, but got none of, and Aleksib's men just completely outplayed FalleN's.

Mirage was a wash with FURIA getting just five rounds, but Inferno was possibly the map of the event. NAVI were miles ahead before FURIA finally woke up, but man, what a wake up. iM was one bullet away from a low HP 1v5 that would have broken FURIA's hearts and backs, while FalleN saved the game with a near-impossible 1v3. Seriously. He didn't even look like he was trying to win it.

FURIA needed overtime, but they pulled off an unlikely comeback to keep themselves in the Major that they were destined to win.

And then the anti-climax of map three hit.

NAVI ran amok in the outer yard over and over with molodoy failing to connect with the AWP far too often, and makazze consistently getting work done from Ivy and w0nderful showing molodoy how it's done. It was over before it really started, and NAVI ran away with a 13-3 win.

NAVI stay alive. FURIA go home.

Wild.