The second round of the group stage at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 became critical for the teams that entered it with a 1:0 record. Here, the first four teams made a push toward 2:0 and moved one step closer to reaching Stage 2. The matches were played in Bo1, meaning every mistake came at a high cost — and some big names felt it firsthand.
Tournament context
StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 1 is the opening part of the season’s main tournament, played in a Swiss format with Bo1 matches. Sixteen teams compete for places in Stage 2, and the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system records essential points that determine global rankings and future qualification paths for upcoming Majors.
The 1:0 round is traditionally considered pivotal — teams that reach 2:0 receive two chances to qualify further, while those who drop to 1:1 may find themselves on the verge of elimination in the next games.
Fluxo vs fnatic (Train — 13:9)
Fluxo continues their steady rise, defeating fnatic thanks to aggressive play and strong individual decisions. arT and decenty fully controlled the pace, preventing the Europeans from dictating their own tempo. fnatic attempted a comeback through a series of CT rounds, but the Brazilians remained composed in decisive moments.
Player of the Match — Andrei “arT” Piovezan
- K–D: 20–9
- ADR: 91.9
- Rating 3.0: 1.67
NRG vs FaZe (Dust2 — 13:10)
NRG produced one of the biggest upsets of the early Major. The American roster defeated FaZe thanks to a clear game plan and strong performances from br0 and daps, who consistently won key duels. FaZe managed to catch up only partially — they lacked closing rounds and precision in clutch situations.
Player of the Match — Damian “daps” Steele
- K–D: 14–13
- ADR: 61.5
- Rating 3.0: 1.12
M80 vs PARIVISION (Mirage — 13:9)
M80 confidently handed PARIVISION their first stumble after a long winning streak. Lake and HexT provided a stable start, while slawz and s1n delivered crucial multikills in the middle rounds. PARIVISION fought back but lost too many retakes, which ultimately decided the match.
Player of the Match — Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov
- K–D: 20–17
- ADR: 98.1
- Rating 3.0: 1.41
Despite the loss, xiELO became the best player of the match — PARIVISION lost as a team, not individually.
FlyQuest vs Imperial (Inferno — 13:6)
FlyQuest delivered one of the most confident performances of the day. INS and jks exerted immense pressure on both bombsites, while regali consistently won sniper duels. Imperial struggled on their T side, failing to find basic entries against the structured defense of the Australian roster.
Player of the Match — Declan “Vexite” Portelli
- K–D: 13–12
- ADR: 98.1
- Rating 3.0: 1.59
Legacy vs Rare Atom — 13:6 (Dust2)
Legacy fully controlled Dust2, winning eight rounds on the T side and denying Rare Atom the ability to dictate pace in the second half. The Brazilian roster played with confidence, and Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer became the core pillar, driving the team forward through consistent entries and high ADR.
Player of the Match — Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer
- K–D: 18–11
- ADR: 102.5
- Rating 3.0: 1.64
B8 vs The Huns — 13:11 (Ancient)
B8 fought through a difficult match against The Huns, gathering themselves in the final rounds to secure an essential victory. The Ukrainian roster confidently closed key rounds, while the Mongolian duo of Gantulga and Batbold could not find an answer to the structure of their opponents.
The decisive factor was the outstanding performance of Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi.
Player of the Match — Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi
- K–D: 23–15
- ADR: 91.4
- Rating 3.0: 1.55
RED Canids vs GamerLegion — 13:6 (Train)
RED Canids confidently dismantled GamerLegion, demonstrating aggressive and purposeful play on Train. GL failed to counter the fast executes and precise aim of the Brazilians. Kaue “kauez” Kaschuk stood out as the most impactful player, performing impressively both on T and CT sides.
Player of the Match — Kaue “kauez” Kaschuk
- K–D: 18–9
- ADR: 88.2
- Rating 3.0: 1.48
Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Lynn Vision — 13:2 (Train)
NiP delivered one of the most one-sided matches of the day — near-perfect defense and sharp aim allowed them to close Train within minutes. Lynn Vision couldn’t create any tension, and Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer produced one of the best individual performances of the day.
Player of the Match — Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer
- K–D: 19–11
- ADR: 130.1
- Rating 3.0: 1.92
VRS results for the teams:
- Legacy: +3 pt (1729 → 1732), rise to #8
- FaZe: –24 pt (1586 → 1562), drop to #16
- B8: +25 pt (1508 → 1533), rise to #17
- GamerLegion: –28 pt (1505 → 1477), fall to #20
- fnatic: –21 pt (1433 → 1412), drop to #24
- PARIVISION: –19 pt (1441 → 1422), drop to #24
- M80: +35 pt (1366 → 1401), rise to #26
- FlyQuest: +50 pt (1334 → 1384), rise to #27
- Lynn Vision: –20 pt (1402 → 1382), fall to #28
- NRG: +35 pt (1346 → 1381), rise to #29
- Ninjas in Pyjamas: +46 pt (1268 → 1314), rise to #34
- Fluxo: +24 pt (1309 → 1333), rise to #34
- Imperial: –13 pt (1319 → 1306), drop to #36
- Rare Atom: –1 pt (1149 → 1148), fall to #53
- RED Canids: +47 pt (1063 → 1110), jump to #60
- The Huns: –2 pt (1094 → 1092), remain #63
What’s next for the teams
The second Swiss round produced four standout results and unexpected outcomes. NRG stopped FaZe, Fluxo beat fnatic in a confident match, M80 ended PARIVISION’s win streak, and FlyQuest crushed Imperial. Now these four winners stand one step away from securing their slot in Stage 2, while the 1:1 teams find themselves in a heightened-risk zone.
Legacy, B8, RED Canids and Ninjas in Pyjamas advance to the 1–1 stage, where they will face opponents with the same record — matches that promise to be extremely tight.
Meanwhile, Rare Atom, The Huns, GamerLegion and Lynn Vision drop into the 0–2 pool, where another loss will mean elimination from the Major. These upcoming matches will be played under maximum pressure — there will be no room for mistakes.
Skin.Club Pick’em Challenge
Running alongside the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is the Skin.Club Pick’em Challenge — an interactive feature where fans predict match results, choose advancing teams, and earn points throughout the tournament. By making accurate picks, participants unlock rewards ranging from premium skins to rare gloves and knives, with the ultimate prize being the iconic AWP | Dragon Lore.
