Something clicked for RAD Esports this week. After grinding through a lower bracket most teams would have crumbled in, RAD swept Swamp Gaming 3-0 on Day 3 of the Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid-Season Finals 2026, and coach Denis “Denis” Tsiganov could barely contain himself afterward. “I have never seen them that locked in,” he said. Coming from a coach, that’s not a throwaway line — it’s a team peaking at exactly the right moment.
RAD Almost Didn’t Make It Here
RAD’s road to this tournament started with a disappointment. The squad finished third in the EMEA qualifier, trailing both Natus Vincere and Virtus.pro, who skipped straight to the Main Stage while RAD got shipped off to the Play-In Stage instead. Not exactly the start anyone wants. But RAD ground through it, beating Aconyx and then REJECT to punch their ticket to the Main Stage and set up a rematch with the teams that had already beaten them once.
The Sweep That Changed the Story
Once RAD reached the Main Stage, things got tougher before they got better. The team took on Team Liquid Citadel and Over Ultra Gaming, then finally got their shot at revenge against Virtus.pro — and took it, winning 3-1. That result alone would’ve been a solid story. Instead, RAD kept rolling, sweeping Swamp Gaming 3-0 to move one win away from the grand final. It’s the kind of stretch that turns a scrappy underdog run into something people start paying attention to.
That momentum was written all over Denis’s face when he sat down after the win. “My guys played insanely,” he said. “I have never seen them play on this level. Today, we unlocked something. I have never seen them that locked in. All props to them. It’s insane. Congrats, guys. You deserve it.”
Denis’s Team Has Been Through Worse Than a Bad Bracket
The backstory here matters, and Denis didn’t skip it. He’s played alongside Adam “crazykitty” Naskręt and Jakub “Vertigo” Polewski before, back when the three of them were on a team called chopped — no org, no backing, just players betting on each other. It didn’t work out. Losing to Virtus.pro during that run gutted the group. “It was a very hard hit to all of us. I can’t lie,” Denis admitted. “A lot of people wanted to retire, and we were thinking a lot about what we could achieve together more.” Nobody picked them up. The team split. And now, somehow, several of those same players are standing on a Main Stage together under the RAD banner. “This whole journey was insane,” Denis said — and it’s hard to argue with him.
Denis Already Knows Who He Wants Next
With one win standing between RAD and the grand final, Denis isn’t shy about his preference for the next round. He wants Team Liquid Citadel, which means he’s rooting for Natus Vincere to beat TLC in the upper-bracket final and send them down to face RAD instead. “100% TLC. I’m sorry, guys. I need to root for my friends, for my region,” he said, before adding, “I want NAVI to win. I want to match them in the final.” It’s a coach thinking two steps ahead — pulling for a fellow EMEA team while still eyeing the matchup he actually wants on the biggest stage.
RAD’s story right now isn’t really about brackets or seeding. It’s about a group of players who once split up without an org behind them, finding their way back to each other and playing like it. Whether that ends in a grand final trophy or not, Denis already got the moment he was chasing: a team that finally looks locked in.
Sources:
- Chen, Amy. “Rad Esports at Marvel Rivals Ignite Mid-Season Finals 2026: ‘I have never seen them that locked in.'” Esports.gg, July 31, 2026.
