StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 1 opens with a match between Legacy and FlyQuest — two teams beginning the Swiss stage with a 0:0 starting score. For both, this is the first step in the race toward Stage 2, and the winner immediately secures a comfortable 1:0 position, while the loser falls into the less favorable 0:1 group. Legacy and FlyQuest enter the Major with different results, creating additional intrigue ahead of their head-to-head meeting. Shox highlighted the difficulty of this particular matchup:
Legacy versus FlyQuest is probably one of the hardest matches to predict correctly.
STARLADDER BUDAPEST MAJOR 2025 STAGE 1 — THE FIRST TEST OF THE MAJOR
The tournament takes place from November 24 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary, and will determine two teams that earn slots in Stage 2. Sixteen teams participate in the first stage, including FaZe, Legacy, FlyQuest, NIP, B8, fnatic, Rare Atom, GamerLegion, and other representatives from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
The format is Swiss Bo1, with elimination and advancement matches played as Bo3. This creates extremely unpredictable conditions, where every round can become decisive on the path to the coveted main stage of the Major.
Legacy vs FlyQuest is one of the key opening matches, with both teams looking to set the tempo for the entire tournament.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — LEGACY HOLD THE EDGE
Legacy and FlyQuest have met five times in recent months, and the balance remains relatively even: Legacy have won 3 matches, while FlyQuest have won 2. All encounters took place in Bo1 or Bo3 formats at major tournaments — PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 and BLAST Open London 2025.
Legacy have a slight advantage in head-to-head meetings, especially on Dust2 and Overpass, but FlyQuest have shown they can respond with aggressive play and solid preparation on Inferno and Mirage. The match promises to be close from the very first rounds.
CURRENT FORM
- Legacy — stability and control
Legacy (#14 world rank) enter the tournament in competitive form. The team secured wins over SAW (2–1), paiN (2–1), and FlyQuest (2–0), but lost to Aurora (2–3) and B8 (1–2). The lineup demonstrates confident tempo control and a well-structured playstyle, with strong retakes and disciplined defense.
Legacy’s standout performers are latto, dumau, and lux, all consistently posting ratings around 1.10 and giving the team an edge in key moments. Legacy especially excel on control-heavy maps, where their structure shows best. Shox evaluated their potential in opening matches:
For the opening matches I would still go with Legacy because I believe they have more firepower than FlyQuest, and the Brazilians overall are good in this best-of-one format.
He also highlighted why Brazilian teams often start tournaments well:
You know, when there is a lot of pressure and when you really need to be ready from minute one, these are the types of games they are very good at.
- FlyQuest — individual potential that lacks stability
FlyQuest (#32 world rank) enter the tournament after an unstable period. The team lost to Legacy (0–2), Liquid (0–2), fnatic (0–2), and GamerLegion (0–2), but also secured wins against 3DMAX (2–1) and GenOne (2–1). Over the past three months, FlyQuest show fluctuating results, where strong individual performances alternate with weak series.
Key players for FlyQuest are regali, INS, and jks — they often keep the team competitive through individual skill. However, the team’s overall structure is less stable than Legacy’s, which may play a decisive role in a Bo1.
MAP POOL & VETO
Map statistics from the last 3 months (Legacy | FlyQuest):
- Dust2: 62% | 38%
- Mirage: 38% | 50%
- Inferno: 53% | 67%
- Nuke: 58% | —
- Train: 40% | 33%
- Overpass: — | 25%
- Ancient: 40% | —
Expected bans:
- Legacy ban Overpass, which they do not play, while FlyQuest have experience on it.
- FlyQuest ban Nuke, where Legacy have 58% and feel confident.
Likely picks:
- Legacy — Dust2: their strongest map with a 62% win rate.
- FlyQuest — Inferno: their most stable map with 67% wins.
Decider: Mirage or Ancient, where both teams show average performance.
KEY DUELS
- latto vs regali — the duel of the main playmakers/snipers that will influence tempo control.
- dumau vs jks — a matchup of stability versus experience.
- lux vs INS — entry duels that could determine the development of Legacy’s and FlyQuest’s attacks.
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PREDICTION
The match Legacy vs FlyQuest has a clearly defined favorite. Legacy show better current form, a more stable structure, and a noticeably stronger map pool. FlyQuest can put up a fight thanks to the individual level of regali and jks, but in a Bo1 this does not guarantee consistency. Shox summarized his prediction for the match:
We saw in the past a lot of upsets coming from Brazilians. So even if I have FlyQuest going through eventually, I still think the opening matchup will go to Legacy.
Legacy have more tools to control the game and better mid-round adaptation.
Predicted result: Legacy 1–0 FlyQuest.
