BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 continues Stage 1 with a match between Vitality and Liquid. In the first round of the bracket, 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 immediately end their run at the tournament. Liquid independently chose one of the tournament’s main favorites, but the difference in world ranking, individual form, and map pool makes Vitality the undisputed favorite of the series.
BLAST BOUNTY 2026 SEASON 2 STAGE 1 — FORMAT SPECIFICS
Stage 1 is played in a Single Elimination format. All matches are played as Bo3, and the winners advance to the next round of online qualification for the LAN Finals.
Liquid, with the 30th seed, chose Vitality, who received the first seed. This is one of the riskiest choices of the opening round: the North American roster is ranked 31st in the world, while Vitality are in second place and have much stronger numbers on almost all current maps.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — A NEW MATCHUP
The current Vitality and Liquid rosters have not previously faced each other, so no historical advantage has been formed between the teams.
At the same time, the stylistic difference is obvious. Vitality have a stronger team structure, more experience in matches at the highest level, and a significant advantage in individual class. Liquid can try to use the absence of pressure, but to make the series competitive, they will need an almost flawless game.
CURRENT FORM
Vitality — star roster and a major class advantage
Vitality have recently shown mixed results against the strongest opponents, losing to Falcons, 9z, and Natus Vincere. At the same time, the team defeated BetBoom, MOUZ, and FUT, confirming its ability to consistently close series against lower-level teams.
The main figure remains ZywOo, who has a 1.35 rating over the last three months. He is significantly ahead of all Liquid players in kills, average damage, and overall impact on rounds. ropz and flameZ will be no less important, providing stability in rifle duels, while apEX controls the tempo and structure of the game.
Liquid — updated roster and unstable results
Liquid approach the match after a series of inconsistent performances. The team defeated HEROIC and BIG, but lost to FlyQuest, MIBR, BetBoom, and The MongolZ. The roster still lacks stability across a full series, especially after a poor start to a map.
The best individual form is being shown by malbsMd, who has a 1.10 rating over the last three months. He remains the main source of aggression and entry frags. NAF and EliGE will also need to play an important role, but to beat Vitality, Liquid will need a high level from the entire roster at the same time.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last 3 months (Vitality | Liquid):
- Cache: — | —
- Dust2: 60% | 0%
- Mirage: 86% | 33%
- Inferno: 75% | 60%
- Nuke: 83% | 60%
- Ancient: — | —
- Anubis: 20% | —
Expected veto:
- Liquid will almost certainly ban Mirage — Vitality’s strongest map with an 86% win rate. The North American roster has only 33% on it, so leaving Mirage in the series would be too risky.
- Vitality are highly likely to remove Ancient or Anubis. Both maps are almost absent from the teams’ current sample, although Anubis remains a weak point for the European roster with a 20% win rate.
Likely picks:
- Vitality: Nuke — the team has an 83% win rate and significantly outclasses Liquid in structure, rotations, and converting advantages on this map.
- Liquid: Inferno — the most logical choice for the North American roster. Liquid have a 60% win rate and can try to impose a slower and more positional game on the opponent.
Possible decider map: Dust2 may remain as the third map, but this option also looks much more comfortable for Vitality. The European roster has a 60% win rate, while Liquid have lost all four maps in the current sample.
KEY DUELS
- ZywOo vs malbsMd — the main individual duel of the series and the battle for the biggest impact in opening duels.
- ropz vs NAF — a matchup between two experienced players in clutch episodes and late-round situations.
- flameZ vs EliGE — the battle for entry frags, space, and control of key areas of the map.
PREDICTION
Liquid can try to create problems on Inferno, especially if malbsMd and EliGE win opening duels. The lack of high expectations may also allow the team to play more aggressively and take risks in individual rounds.
However, Vitality have too large of an advantage in almost all key areas. The European roster is stronger individually, has a much more reliable map pool, and converts advantages better across a full series. Even Liquid’s own pick does not look comfortable enough to confidently expect a third map.
Projected result: Vitality 2–0 Liquid
