Pyramid IV Esports Shocks Arctic Pandas in EM Opener

TL;DR: Pyramid IV Esports defied a 36% pre-game market chance to defeat Arctic Pandas in a chaotic 56:50 EMEA Masters opener. Their draft’s scaling core survived the early pressure, while Mahonix’s Milio posted a 10.00 KDA to turn messy fights into a statement upset.

Key Takeaways

• Pyramid IV Esports won the kill race 26-20 and finished with 77.6k gold, proving its 51% draft-model edge translated into late-game control.
• Mahonix delivered a 0/2/20 line on Milio for a 10.00 KDA, giving Pyramid IV Esports the protection needed to outlast every skirmish.
• Simpli produced 10/5/8 on Syndra, but Arctic Pandas still lost 8 towers to 5, showing that individual damage could not replace map control.

Early Game

Arctic Pandas entered as the market favorite at 64%, and their composition had a visible route to justify that confidence: bot priority, poke, and proactive roams. Kehvo’s Caitlyn finished 5/4/4, while DIBU’s Jarvan IV contributed 2/5/14, repeatedly creating openings for the favored side.

Yet Pyramid IV Esports refused to let those openings become a snowball. moe’s Rengar answered aggression with an explosive 9/8/9, making every extended chase dangerous. The game became a brawl rather than the clean early map Arctic Pandas wanted, and that disorder suited the underdogs.

The Turning Point

The draft model had placed Pyramid IV Esports at 51%, and its projected strength materialized once fights narrowed around objectives. Akashii’s Cassiopeia ended 6/5/12, turning crowded dragon setups into punishing zones where Arctic Pandas could not freely poke or retreat.

The contest stayed level in dragons at 3 to 3 and barons at 1 to 1, but Pyramid IV Esports found more value whenever bodies collided. StarScreen’s Sion absorbed the chaos en route to 4/3/16, giving the back line room to keep firing. Arctic Pandas had kills, but Pyramid IV Esports had the structure to convert them.

Closing Out

After 56:50, the upset was written in the map: Pyramid IV Esports claimed 8 towers to 5 and a 77.6k to 72.1k gold advantage. Jalleba’s Lucian closed with 7/2/7, thriving behind the shields and resets that made late fights so hard to crack.

Arctic Pandas still had a carry performance from Simpli, whose 10 kills kept the game alive. But Mahonix made the decisive difference: his Milio died only 2 times while supplying 20 assists, anchoring a composition built to scale through pressure rather than avoid it.

Polymarket Market

Polymarket did not read Game 1 correctly. Arctic Pandas were priced at 64% at draft close, leaving Pyramid IV Esports at just 36%, but the underdogs delivered the win their 51% live draft-model rating anticipated. The market appeared to value Arctic Pandas’ lane pressure and playmaking routes more heavily than Pyramid IV Esports’ ability to survive poke and force closed teamfights around Cassiopeia, Sion, and Milio. Execution confirmed that scaling thesis through 26-20 kills and superior tower control. At series level, Arctic Pandas fell from 72% to 37%, while Pyramid IV Esports rose from 28% to 63%. The BO3 remains alive at 0-1, but Game 2 now carries a sharply different expectation.

FAQ

*Odds via Polymarket, 2026-09-22 19:25 UTC.*