The opening day of BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2 was explosive: four matches — four completely different stories. Passion UA delivered a huge upset, Falcons destroyed Spirit, FURIA defeated their regional rivals paiN, and Vitality barely escaped TYLOO’s trap. The new season has only just begun, but the level of intrigue already exceeds expectations.
The MongolZ 1–2 Passion UA — a historic upset from the Ukrainian lineup
In the first match of the day, Passion UA produced what can confidently be called one of the biggest upsets of the year. They defeated The MongolZ — a team that over the past three months had beaten FURIA, Spirit, paiN, and consistently held a top-5 spot in the VRS rankings.
Overpass was the first signal that something special might happen. The MongolZ controlled the tempo, won most duels, and looked set to close out the map, but Passion UA showed a level of composure and psychological resilience rarely seen from them before. hallzerk had a monster performance, punishing every mistake from Techno and 910, while JT consistently created space for his team. The map was decided in the closing rounds — 16–14, and Passion UA shocked the arena.
On Inferno, The MongolZ struck back with their signature aggression, winning through tempo and decisive pushes. But the decider, Nuke, became a statement of character from the Ukrainians. They played as if they had years of LAN experience behind them: clean rotations, controlled economy, confident post-plants.
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Match MVP — hallzerk (1.24 rating), the true leader of the series.
In the VRS rankings, Passion UA jumped 8 positions (+87 pt) — the best improvement of the day. The MongolZ, in turn, drop one spot (–29 pt).
Spirit 0–2 Falcons — m0NESY and NiKo deliver a masterclass
Falcons entered the tournament fresh off their bronze at IEM Chengdu and showed they weren’t slowing down. Spirit, going through their toughest period in six months, once again failed to counter the structural, cold-blooded play of kyxsan’s squad.
Dust2 turned into a showcase for m0NESY and NiKo — both looked like Top-1 contenders in the world. donk and sh1ro tried to keep Spirit afloat, but Falcons read the tempo perfectly and forced Spirit into uncomfortable positions. Nuke was the breaking point — fully controlled by Falcons.
kyxsan and TeSeS dominated on defense, kyousuke locked down key areas, and m0NESY simply shut down every attempt at momentum.
MVP — m0NESY (1.46 rating), who played two maps without a single weak moment.
Falcons rise to #2 in VRS (+18 pt); Spirit remain #7 (–5 pt).
FURIA 2–1 paiN — a Brazilian derby full of nerves, pauses, and raw character
The FURIA vs paiN matchup is traditionally one of the most emotional in the Brazilian scene — and today was no exception. PaiN shocked everyone by taking Nuke 13–7, a map where FURIA usually look comfortable against any opponent.
Everything changed after a technical pause on Overpass. FalleN restructured the team, shifted the focus toward time manipulation and information control — instantly breaking paiN’s approach. KSCERATO turned into a defensive anchor, yuurih dominated every post-plant, and YEKINDAR brought back his sharp aggression. After a crushing 13–6 on Overpass, Mirage became the true decider. paiN fought hard, but FURIA once again proved their clutch power and championship mentality.
MVP — yuurih (1.45 rating), one of the best players of the entire day.
FURIA comfortably hold #1 in the world (+3 pt). paiN, despite the loss, still climb to #16 globally (+4 pt).
Vitality 2–1 TYLOO — a chaotic start the “bees” definitely didn’t expect
Vitality started the match by destroying TYLOO on Overpass — 13–2, a vintage display reminiscent of their peak form. But everything changed afterwards.
On Nuke, TYLOO unleashed the explosive, fearless Counter-Strike they are admired for in China — constant ramp pressure, fast A hits, and sharp duels. JamYoung and Jee delivered highlight after highlight, playing like they were facing a tier-2 EU team rather than a global top-3. Vitality looked shaken and mentally drained. TYLOO deservedly closed the map 13–9.
The decider, Inferno, finally brought out ZywOo and ropz — stability, positional discipline, and cold clutch decision-making. TYLOO fought until the end, but Vitality extinguished the fire and secured the win.
MVP — ropz (1.39 rating), the most stable player of the series.
Vitality stay at #3 in VRS (+1 pt); TYLOO earn a modest +2 pt and remain #25.
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Day 1 Summary
Day 1 of BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2 set the tone for the entire group stage. Favorites no longer have room for mistakes, underdogs fear no one, and VRS rankings swing wildly as if the event were already in playoffs.
- Passion UA delivered the upset of the year.
- Falcons look like clear contenders for the finals.
- FURIA remain unstoppable even in difficult matches.
- Vitality received a worrying wake-up call.
