Very soon, as part of the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 LAN Finals, fans will witness a high-stakes showdown between the world’s number one team Vitality and the 15th-ranked Liquid. The two sides will battle in a Best of 3 quarterfinal that promises both tactical depth and raw firepower. For Vitality, it’s a chance to reaffirm their dominance and move one step closer to another prestigious title. For Liquid, it’s an opportunity to defy the odds, upset the tournament favorites, and secure a coveted spot in the semifinals.
Last Head-to-Head — Vitality’s Domination at IEM Melbourne 2025
The last time Vitality and Liquid faced each other was during the group stage of IEM Melbourne 2025, and ZywOo’s squad gave their opponents no chance.
- Mirage (Liquid pick): 13–5 — Vitality instantly imposed their tempo, playing aggressively on defense and effectively locking down key areas of the map. Liquid never found an answer to flameZ’s aggression and ropz’s consistent aim.
- Nuke (Vitality pick): 13–8 — a more competitive map, where Liquid created some intrigue in the first half, but apEX’s experience and ZywOo’s clutch plays proved decisive.
Group Stage Run — BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2
Vitality — flawless run without losing a map
The team began their Group B campaign with a convincing 2–0 win over NRG, where ZywOo posted a rating above 1.70, and flameZ with ropz fully controlled the game on the T side.
In their next playoff-deciding match, Vitality dismantled Legacy (2–0), again winning both maps by several rounds.
The “bees” finished the group stage undefeated, advancing to the playoffs as the top seed.
Liquid — the lower bracket path
Liquid opened Group A with a 2–0 win over ECSTATIC, showing disciplined play and solid defense. In their next match, they faced FURIA, securing a hard-fought 2–1 victory. The series was tense, featuring a comeback on the decider map, but it was enough to earn them a quarterfinal spot.
Current Form & Results
Vitality have looked like true champions in recent matches: 2–0 wins over Legacy, NRG, The MongolZ, and G2, with only MOUZ managing to stop them (0–2). ZywOo, with a 1.31 rating over the past three months, is the undisputed leader, while ropz’s consistency and flameZ’s ability to win key rounds make them even more dangerous.
Liquid, despite wins over paiN, FlyQuest, and FURIA, struggle with consistency: losses to FaZe (twice) and MOUZ show they lack the firepower to topple top-3 teams. Twistzz remains the star, but even his 1.02 rating seems insufficient to halt Vitality.
Map Pool & Veto Analysis
Map stats (last 3 months):
- Dust2: Vitality 100% | Liquid 29%
- Mirage: Vitality 80% | Liquid 43%
- Inferno: Vitality 78% | Liquid 33%
- Nuke: Vitality 80% | Liquid 40%
- Train: Vitality 60% | Liquid 50%
- Overpass: neither team plays it
- Ancient: Vitality — no recent maps | Liquid 60%
Expected veto:
- Liquid will almost certainly remove Train, which they do not play and lack structured strategies for.
- Vitality will likely ban Ancient, removing the only map where Liquid look relatively comfortable.
Likely picks:
- Liquid might risk going for Mirage, but their previous encounter on this map ended in a crushing 5–13 loss.
- Vitality are expected to pick Nuke or Dust2, where they hold a massive statistical and confidence advantage.
Potential decider:
- Inferno appears the most likely third map, though Vitality would still have a strong edge here with a 78% WR compared to Liquid’s 33%.
Key Matchups
- ZywOo vs Twistzz — a duel between two superstars; Twistzz will need to perform at his absolute peak to bridge the gap.
- ropz vs NertZ — the battle for control of key areas, especially on Mirage and Nuke.
- apEX vs siuhy — a clash of captains with different styles: an experienced veteran versus a young, ambitious leader.
Prediction
Vitality enter this quarterfinal as overwhelming favorites. They are in excellent form, possess a deep map pool, and have already proven their superiority by sweeping Liquid 2–0 at IEM Melbourne 2025. If Liquid once again opt for Mirage, Vitality are likely to set a fast tempo and close the map with a significant lead. On their own pick (Nuke or Dust2), the “bees” are extremely confident and capable of ending the series quickly.
Predicted score: Vitality 2–0
