In the Group A lower bracket final at BLAST Open London 2025, fnatic faced off against M80 in a decisive playoff spot clash. For both teams, it was a do-or-die battle: the winner secured a ticket to the LAN Finals quarter-finals, while the loser exited the tournament. In the end, the North Americans proved stronger — they claimed a confident 2:0 victory and continued their sensational run.
Teams’ Path in the Tournament
M80
The squad started with a loss to Vitality (1:2), which sent them to the lower bracket. There, they defeated Virtus.pro (2:1) to pull off their first upset and later shocked the scene by eliminating NAVI (2:1). Their final 2:0 win over fnatic secured a place in the LAN Finals quarter-finals.
fnatic
The Swedish-British roster began with a 0:2 defeat to NAVI, but bounced back with a convincing win against ECSTATIC (2:0) and then eliminated GamerLegion (2:0). However, against M80 they looked unstable and couldn’t cope with the opponent’s aggressive style. The 0:2 loss ended their tournament run.
Match Timeline
- Ancient (13:8, M80’s pick)
M80 chose Ancient and made it count. They opened with a disciplined CT side and followed up with confident aggression on offense. Lake and slaxz won the crucial duels, while fnatic couldn’t find a consistent way to crack the defense. Despite efforts from blameF and KRIMZ to stabilize, the map ended 13:8 for M80.
- Train (16:14, fnatic’s pick)
On their pick, fnatic looked more structured. BlameF led the charge, and CYHPER tried to support with aggressive entries. Still, M80 held their ground: Lake repeatedly saved the team in clutches, while Swisher and HexT closed out rounds on retakes. In a dramatic finish, fnatic wasted their chance to force a decider, as M80 sealed Train 16:14 and won the series 2:0.
Player Stats for the Match
Player of the Match
The MVP of the series was Mason “Lake” Sanderson, who put on a brilliant performance against fnatic:
- K-D: 45–38 (+7)
- ADR: 93.6
- Rating 3.0: 1.45
Lake consistently dominated duels, won clutches, and was the driving force for M80 in critical moments. His confidence and aggression put enormous pressure on fnatic, paving the way for this key victory.
Team Performance
fnatic
Fnatic once again showed their inconsistency. BlameF (51–34, 1.19 rating) was the standout, winning crucial duels and trying to rally the team. CYHPER and KRIMZ provided some impact, but fear and jambo struggled under pressure. Lack of synergy and lost clutches proved decisive.
M80
The North Americans looked cohesive and disciplined. Lake was the clear leader, while Swisher (30–34, 1.14 rating) and slaxz (40–31, 1.09 rating) delivered important frags. HexT maintained balance between aggression and defense, and even s1n, despite modest stats, did plenty of the dirty work for the team.
Fnatic end their BLAST Open London 2025 run once again highlighting their lack of stability and synergy needed to compete with disciplined opponents.
M80, meanwhile, sensationally advance to the playoffs, solidifying their status as the tournament’s dark horse. Their confident win against a European giant proves they are capable of challenging anyone on the big stage.
