AW believes Magic can grow into tournament contenders despite FISSURE exit

AW believes Magic can grow into tournament contenders despite FISSURE exit

Andrey "AW" Anisimov remains confident that Magic can develop into a tournament-winning team despite missing the playoffs at FISSURE Playground 3.

Magic entered the event following a period of promising results that included playoff appearances at PGL Astana and the Esports World Cup.

The European lineup also recorded notable victories in Suzhou, defeating FaZe and PARIVISION before falling to Alliance in the Group B lower-bracket final.

AW admitted he was disappointed by the elimination and particularly dissatisfied with his own individual performance.

The 20-year-old finished the deciding series against Alliance with 22 kills against 40 deaths and a 0.65 rating as Magic fell 16:13 on Ancient and 13:7 on Inferno.

AW confident in team's potential

Despite the result, AW believes Magic 's current level does not represent the team's ceiling.

"We're not ready to actually win tournaments; I think we'll get there," AW said following the team's elimination.

Magic have steadily improved their results against established international opposition and have begun to build a collection of notable victories during the 2026 season.

Their FISSURE Playground 3 run ended one victory short of the playoffs, but wins over FaZe and PARIVISION provided further evidence of the young roster's ability to compete against experienced teams.