BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 continues Stage 1 with a match between Nemesis and Astralis. In the opening round, the teams will play a Bo3 series, where the winner will continue the fight for a place at the LAN Finals, while the loser will end their run at the tournament. Nemesis independently chose the Danish roster as their opponent, but Astralis approach the match as the favorite based on ranking, experience, and bookmaker odds.
BLAST BOUNTY 2026 SEASON 2 STAGE 1 — FORMAT SPECIFICS
Stage 1 is played in a Single Elimination format. All matches are played as Bo3, so one unsuccessful series immediately means elimination, while the winners continue the fight for places at the LAN Finals.
Nemesis, who received the 24th seed, chose Astralis with the eighth seed. This decision may be connected to the unstable form of the Danes, who have recently been regularly losing to opponents ranked below them. At the same time, the difference in tournament experience and roster quality still makes Astralis the favorite.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — A NEW MATCHUP
Nemesis and Astralis have not previously faced each other in official matches, so there is no historical advantage.
This adds tactical uncertainty to the series. Astralis have more experience preparing for international Bo3 matches, but Nemesis can take advantage of the lack of previous head-to-head meetings by preparing unusual opening rounds and aggressive decisions on their own pick.
CURRENT FORM
Nemesis — strong map pool and upset potential
Nemesis show inconsistent results, but regularly create problems for stronger opponents. The team defeated EYEBALLERS and also won individual maps against B8 and Luminosity, but lost to Alliance, BetBoom, and TDK in Bo3 series.
The key player remains r3salt, who has a 1.21 rating over the last three months. He is the main source of individual impact, has 85.3 average damage per round, and can determine the outcome of rifle duels. mag1k3Y and tex1y will also be important, as they need to support him with stable shooting.
Astralis — experience, but unstable results
Astralis have much more experience in high-level matches, but the team’s recent results look problematic. The Danes lost to paiN, TYLOO, 9z, and GamerLegion, while victories over SINNERS and a separate success on Ancient do not cover the overall instability.
Staehr has the best individual numbers with a 1.15 rating. His stability in rifle episodes and ability to create an advantage in the middle of rounds will be especially important. jabbi and phzy will also determine whether Astralis can convert their advantage in experience and firepower.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last 3 months (Nemesis | Astralis):
- Cache: — | —
- Dust2: 56% | 33%
- Mirage: 80% | 67%
- Inferno: 60% | —
- Nuke: 90% | 20%
- Ancient: 54% | 67%
- Anubis: — | —
Expected veto:
- Astralis will almost certainly ban Nuke — Nemesis’ strongest map, where the Russian roster has a 90% win rate, while the Danes have won only 20% of their matches.
- Nemesis may remove Ancient, since this map is one of Astralis’ best with a 67% win rate and at the same time does not give such an obvious advantage to Nemesis.
Likely picks:
- Nemesis: Mirage — the team has an 80% win rate and can use an active style, strong first contacts, and r3salt’s individual form.
- Astralis: Ancient, if the map remains available, or Dust2, where the Danes can try to use their greater experience and structured preparation.
Possible decider map: Dust2 looks like one of the most realistic options for the third map. Nemesis have better statistics, but Astralis can compensate for this with experience and deeper preparation for decisive rounds.
KEY DUELS
- r3salt vs Staehr — the main rifle duel of the series between the most stable players on both teams
- mag1k3Y vs jabbi — the battle for entry frags and tempo control in the middle of rounds
- tex1y vs phzy — the duel for first contacts and converting advantages in key episodes
PREDICTION
Nemesis have enough individual potential to put up a fight. Their map pool looks dangerous, especially on Mirage and Nuke, while Astralis’ unstable form leaves room for an upset.
At the same time, the Danish roster has much more experience in Bo3 series and a wider set of tactical solutions. Even with their recent problematic results, Astralis should gain an advantage through discipline, adaptation between maps, and more stable play in late-round situations.
Projected result: Astralis 2–1 Nemesis
