In the opening matches of single elimination, status and seeding matter less than the ability to survive the critical stretches of a series. Matches like these quickly become the main upsets of the day when the favorite fails to close out the match, and the underdog uses its chance to the very end.
Tournament context
BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 is played in a single-elimination format for Stage 1, where every series immediately decides a team’s fate in the tournament. Victory in a Round of 32 match opens the path to Stage 2, while defeat means instant elimination with no room for error.
This match featured 100 Thieves and Falcons. On paper, Falcons looked like the favorite as one of the strongest seeded teams, but the series followed a completely different scenario: 100 Thieves lost the opening map, but then fully turned the match around and knocked their opponent out of the tournament.
How the match unfolded — 100 Thieves vs Falcons
Series score: 2:1 in favor of 100 Thieves
- Nuke (100 Thieves’ pick) — 4:13
The start of the series was difficult for 100 Thieves. On their own pick, the team could not impose the necessary tempo on Falcons and very quickly lost control of the map. The favorite played the key rounds better and moved ahead in the series without serious complications. - Dust2 (Falcons’ pick) — 13:7
On the second map, the match changed sharply. Already on Falcons’ choice, 100 Thieves looked much more confident, performed better in duels, and did not allow the opponent to build on the opening advantage from the first map. This was where the series shifted from the favorite’s control into a full three-map match. - Anubis (decider) — 13:11
The deciding map turned out to be the most valuable one for 100 Thieves. The team withstood the pressure, played the ending better, and looked more composed than Falcons in the most important moments. For the favorite, this was a match that should have been closed earlier, but on the decider it was 100 Thieves who proved more mentally resilient.
Player of the Match — Håvard “rain” Nygaard (100 Thieves)
- K–D: 45–44
- ADR: 82.9
- Rating 3.0: 1.15
Key contribution: rain did not show a huge statistical gap, but it was his consistency across the whole series and his contribution in decisive stretches that helped 100 Thieves survive the collapse on the first map and bring the match to a sensational victory.
VRS results
- 100 Thieves — +41 pt → 1283 pt
The victory brought 100 Thieves a very solid increase in ranking points and moved the team up to 41st place. For a lower-seeded roster, this is one of the loudest ranking updates of the opening round. - Falcons — -31 pt → 1981 pt
The defeat cost Falcons a serious loss of VRS points, although the team kept 2nd place. In tournament context, this is an especially painful result because it means elimination already in the first match of Stage 1.
What’s next?
100 Thieves advance to Stage 2 of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2, where they will continue the fight with the new status of a team that created one of the main upsets of the opening stage.
Falcons are eliminated from the tournament already at the Stage 1 Round of 32 and end their run without any next chance in this bracket.
Match summary
100 Thieves played a series with a very sharp turnaround during the match. After a disastrous Nuke, the team did not fall apart, but instead rebuilt its game, won the opponent’s pick, and finished off Falcons on the deciding map. For the underdog, this is exactly the type of victory that changes the perception of the entire lower part of the bracket.
For Falcons, this match became one of the most unpleasant results at the start of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2. The team took the first map, but failed to keep control of the series and ultimately exited after the very first round. Meanwhile, 100 Thieves received not only a ticket to Stage 2, but also a powerful boost to their VRS, making this victory important in both tournament and ranking terms.
