Dominance and disaster at CS2 Budapest Major Stage 2

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Stage 2 of the Budapest Major was a mixed bag for Counter-Strike fans. While it was exciting to see some teams thrive, others unfortunately faced tough losses and didn’t get the chance to advance as hoped.

Wow, Stage 2 of the StarLadder Major 2025 in Budapest was incredible! Over four days, we got to see some seriously intense CS2 matches. The Swiss system really showed us who the top contenders are, but it also introduced a few unexpected teams that could really make a run for it. It was awesome to see both the established powerhouses and these up-and-coming underdogs battle it out.

The eliminations were particularly tough for the teams and their supporters. While some losses are expected, getting completely defeated or missing a genuine opportunity really stung.

Let’s recap the highlights of Stage 2 at the CS2 Budapest Major, and share a few memorable moments.

Two teams to dominate Stage 2

Identifying the top contenders in this tournament wasn’t hard. However, finding the second team to achieve a 3-0 record in Stage 2 of the Budapest Major proved more challenging.

NAVI is a team that unexpectedly advanced to Stage 2, despite originally being slated for Stage 3. They’re now set to compete against Vitality and FURIA. However, NAVI’s recent performance, including a last-place finish at IEM Chengdu 2025 and losses to Astralis and HEROIC, contributed to their current situation.

NAVI showcased the success of their training camp in Budapest, winning matches against FlyQuest, Imperial, and B8 to advance to the next round.

To be sure NAVI is back to being a top team, we need to watch them compete against strong opponents.

Following a difficult start, FaZe Clan quickly found their form and easily moved forward after winning in just three rounds.

FaZe didn’t win as convincingly as NAVI did against FlyQuest. They even had a tough fight against Ninjas in Pyjamas, needing two extra periods to secure the win. Ultimately, though, all that matters is that they won!

FaZe Clan faced tough competition in Stage 2 of the Budapest Major. They beat both NiP and Aurora – Aurora in a single match – to advance.

The Verdict: How Stage 2 shifted the GG.BET users expectations

The top teams – FURIA, Falcons, and Vitality – are still the favorites to win, but several other teams are aggressively competing for support from fans.

NAVI has significantly improved their chances of winning the championship. Before Stage 2, they were considered contenders with a 7% chance, similar to G2. However, strong performances from w0nderful and b1t helped them advance flawlessly, increasing their odds to 10%. This moves Natus Vincere into 6th place among the favorites, ahead of G2 and Aurora, both of whom have a 1-2 record.

As a big fan, I’ve been so excited to see FaZe Clan really turn things around! They had a rough start and their support dropped to just 4%, but wow, they absolutely crushed it in Stage 3 with a 3-0 win! Everyone’s noticed, and their backing has jumped all the way to 6.6%! That puts them back in the Top 8 – it’s amazing to see them climbing again!

Analysis courtesy of

GG.BET

Some people criticized FaZe for bringing on Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski. He doesn’t have as much experience as Håvard “rain” Nygaard, who previously played for FaZe and now plays for 100 Thieves.

Jcobbb played well during the second stage of the Major, achieving ratings of 1.07 versus Passion UA, 1.53 against Aurora, and 1.22 against NiP. These scores placed him among the top two or three players on FaZe Clan.

Underdogs to Stage 3

As a fan, it’s awesome to see how different teams view success. For the really big names, it’s all about winning the championship, of course. But for the smaller organizations, just making it to the final stage of a tournament like Swiss is a huge achievement! Getting to play against teams like Vitality or MOUZ is such a fantastic opportunity for them to gain experience and show everyone what they’re capable of – it’s really inspiring to watch.

At the CS2 StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Stage 2 saw some surprising upsets as less-favored teams achieved great success.

  • It’s only the second Major for B8, and these young players already managed to make it to Stage 3. This achievement was close in Austin, but did not happen. In Budapest, B8 played well in Stage 1: they defeated Legacy, one of the favorites. To advance from Stage 2, B8 won over Team Liquid, Fnatic, and 3DMAX. Their loss to NAVI is quite understandable — but still, it’s the caliber of opponents in Stage 3.
  • Imperial Esports is another Stage 1 team that will be playing against the strongest competitors of this Major. The players took the full five-round ride in the opening phase, but they needed only four in Stage 2. Imperial defeated MIBR, Fnatic, and M80. This result puts them on the same level as another underdog team at this Major, PARAVISION.
  • Passion UA battled for the big breakthrough with M80 in the final round of the Major’s Stage 2. Despite having the core roster from Complexity, this organization is very fresh in the top CS2 esports. Even Complexity never reached the final Swiss stage at a Major. In general, there was a lot of pressure on PUA, and especially on their young rifler, Vladyslav “Kvem” Korol. It caused some notable drops during the matches, but the adaptation from the guys turned out to be very decent.

Disasters during the Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2

Three teams particularly underperformed during this tournament, letting down both their players and supporters.

FlyQuest had a fantastic start to Stage 1, winning all three of their initial matches. This success led fans to believe they might overcome a previous pattern of losing in the playoffs after starting with a 2-0 lead.

We made the right call by being careful, because FlyQuest had a rough start, losing their first match against NAVI with a score of 2-13. There was a real danger of them being completely shut out. They fared slightly better against 3DMAX, ending the first half at 1-11. Unfortunately, FlyQuest was then defeated by Astralis 5-13 on Mirage, which eliminated them from the Budapest Major. They didn’t manage to win a single map throughout Stage 2 of the tournament.

Astralis had a tough time at this tournament. It was great to see Emil “Magisk” Reifwas and Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz playing together again on the big stage. Despite a promising start, they were quickly eliminated, losing to Team Liquid in the deciding match.

It’s normal to lose sometimes in competition, but giving your opponents such a large lead – 11 rounds to 1 – especially on a map you chose yourself, is a major setback. After the match, Astralis’s Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen suggested the team is struggling with issues that are affecting their performance, saying, “It’s hard to be in a good form with everything that’s going on.” It will be interesting to see how the team performs leading into the 2026 season.

Going into Stage 2, Aurora was considered a strong contender and a team to watch. Unfortunately, they didn’t perform as expected at the Budapest Major, losing 3-1 and being eliminated. While they did win against M80, they suffered defeats against FaZe, PARAVISION, and Astralis.

Strong mid tier: Good results, not big surprises yet

It wasn’t surprising to see these teams perform decently in Stage 2, but they didn’t really stand out. They might have some unexpected results in Stage 3, but only if they can unlock their full potential.

  • 3DMAX is a great team to watch at CS2 esports events thanks to their unique, fearless playstyle. They lost to Fnatic and B8 but won over FlyQuest, Passion UA, and NiP.
  • Team Liquid had two losses in the initial rounds of the Major’s Stage: to B8 and PARAVISION. They recovered to defeat MIBR, TYLOO, and Astralis. It’s nice to see Liquid having wins, but overall, their performance was too shaky.

Teams like Ninjas in Pyjamas, Fnatic, and M80 didn’t quite make it to Stage 3 this time, but we’ll be watching to see how they perform in the next season.

The best Counter-Strike 2 esports teams will compete in the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, beginning with Stage 3. This phase, using the Swiss System format, will take place from December 4th to 7th.

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2025-12-03 15:13