StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 opens with one of the most unpredictable matchups of the entire first round. Ninjas in Pyjamas, an updated roster led by Snappi, face off against the surging NRG, who arrive in Hungary on a nine-match win streak but forced to play with daps as a stand-in for nitr0. The Bo1 format leaves no room for mistakes — a single misplay can derail an entire Major run. And exclusively for us, CS legend shox shared his thoughts on this matchup.
Current Form & Context
Ninjas in Pyjamas enter the Major as a “dark horse”, but they possess a set of individual tools that matter specifically in Bo1 scenarios. Their recent results are mixed: a positive win over NiP Legends, but losses to SAW, HEROIC and NAVI revealed old structural issues — lack of tempo control and over-reliance on xKacepersky in clutch moments. Despite this, NiP compensate with big-stage experience. Snappi and sjuush have played dozens of playoffs, while ewjerkz and r1nkle have finally gained the necessary Tier-1 resilience. Shox emphasised this point:
I will pick NiP because they have more experienced players who already played a lot of Majors. NRG can surprise, but NiP know how to handle pressure.
His assessment matches the state of the team: NiP may not look flashier, but they look more reliable in a tense Bo1 environment.
NRG enter the match in spectacular form. Sonic is delivering one of the best three-month stretches of his career (1.22 rating, 89+ ADR), br0 and Jeorge perform consistently in their roles, and XotiC has finally rediscovered the AWP confidence that once made him a top prospect. But the major complication is unavoidable: daps replaces nitr0 due to personal commitments. This brings:
- different early-round roles,
- weaker clutch capacity,
- reduced mid-round aggression on T-side.
NRG remain dangerous, but losing their IGL in a Bo1 is a serious blow. Even shox pointed this out:
NRG can maybe surprise some teams, but NiP players got better experience. They have to win it.
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Road to the Major
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
NiP arrive after a run of mixed performances:
- Win vs NiP Legends (2–1)
- Losses to SAW, HEROIC, NAVI
- Strong CT structure in several games, but frequent issues dealing with high-tempo opponents
NiP’s biggest weakness is inconsistent early rounds, while their strength is clear: veteran composure on LAN.
- NRG
NRG enter Budapest with:
- 9 consecutive wins,
- Important victories over M80, SAW, Reign Above,
- Explosive tempo and top-tier form from Sonic.
Their only setback: losing nitr0. And how well daps handles the IGL pressure will heavily influence the outcome.
Head-to-Head — slight edge for NRG, but not on LAN
Last 4 maps:
- NRG — 3
- NiP — 1
NRG generally outperform NiP in:
- long-range duels
- mid control
- trading efficiency
But all these matches were online. And this time, the matchup takes place on the LAN stage of a Major, where NiP clearly have the edge.
Map Pool & Veto Analysis (Bo1, last 3 months)
Winrates (3 months):
- Dust2: NiP 20% | NRG 78%
- Mirage: NiP 0% | NRG 88%
- Inferno: NiP 0% | NRG 88%
- Nuke: NiP 60% | NRG 56%
- Train: NiP 71% | NRG 71%
- Overpass: NiP — | NRG 50%
- Ancient: NiP 67% | NRG —
Likely bans:
- NiP remove Mirage — NRG’s strongest map, 88% WR and elite entry numbers.
- NRG remove Train — they don’t want to play NiP’s slow, structured style here.
Most probable Bo1 map:
Nuke or Ancient — both are comfortable for NiP and don’t give NRG a decisive edge.
Key Duels
- xKacepersky vs Sonic
Two engines of their teams. Sonic is in better form, but xKacepersky is more clutch-reliable.
- Snappi vs daps (stand-in)
A pivotal duel of leadership. Snappi has a huge LAN experience advantage.
- r1nkle vs XotiC
If XotiC starts cold, NRG lose a major tempo component.
VRS Impact — valuable opening points
NiP (#38, 1279 pt)
- +42 pt if they win — rise into top-32
- –13 pt if they lose — remain in danger zone
NRG (#33, 1306 pt)
- +35 pt if they win — potential rise to top-27
- –14 pt if they lose — drop out of top-36
Prediction
NiP vs NRG is one of the closest “coin-flip” matches of Day 1. Mechanically, NRG look stronger; tempo-wise, they are sharper. But Bo1 at a Major is about experience, resilience and emotional control — areas where NiP hold a clear advantage. As shox summarised:
NiP have to win it. With names like that, they must go to Stage Two. Experience matters here.
NRG can create chaos, but NiP are simply better at surviving chaos on LAN.
Expected Score: NiP 13–11 NRG (or 16–12)
Likely on Nuke, in a tense, slow-paced match that swings on a few clutches.
