Spirit demolished Falcons 2–0 to open the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 playoffs with an emphatic statement of intent. What was expected to be a high-intensity, evenly matched series quickly turned into total domination: chopper’s squad controlled every area of the game, while the zweih–donk duo delivered one of the strongest combined performances of the entire Major. Falcons, despite a powerful Stage 3 run, couldn’t match the pace — even the best moments from m0NESY and NiKo weren’t enough to shift the momentum.
Group Stage Paths — Two Trajectories, Two Levels of Stability
Spirit entered the playoffs as one of the most cohesive teams of Stage 3. After a shaky pre-Major period, they quickly regained form and produced a series of confident wins, consistently outplaying opponents through structure, discipline, and explosive individual performances.
Their group stage path:
- 13–8 vs Liquid — solid opening performance
- 13–5 vs FaZe — dominant win led by donk’s insane form
- 2–1 vs MOUZ — confident series to secure a playoff berth
Spirit once again proved they peak exactly when it matters most.
Falcons moved through the group stage with noticeable ups and downs. The team struggled with consistency, but several key victories kept them in contention and ultimately pushed them into the playoffs — though by the end, they looked less and less like a title contender.
Their path:
- 10–13 vs B8 — rough start
- 13–5 vs Passion UA — expected rebound
- 13–1 vs Imperial — complete destruction
- 1–2 vs MOUZ — a hard loss to an equal opponent
- 2–1 vs G2 — decisive win in the elimination match
Falcons showed clear potential, but their success heavily depended on the individual form of m0NESY and NiKo.
Nuke — 13:4. Spirit Set the Tempo and Suffocate Falcons from the Start
Falcons deliberately picked Nuke, relying on their well-practiced T side, but that decision instantly backfired. Spirit seized control from the opening rounds, pushing the tempo relentlessly and forcing Falcons into unfavorable duels again and again.
zweih shut down the A-site almost single-handedly, donk found consistent openings through aggressive peeks, and tN1R closed out retakes with cold precision. Falcons couldn’t withstand the pressure, repeatedly lost winnable situations, and never adapted in time. By halftime, the gap in pace, structure, and confidence was already overwhelming.
Dust2 — 16:12. Falcons Finally Wake Up but Can’t Handle the Pressure
Dust2 looked far more competitive. kyxsan started reading Spirit’s tempo better, m0NESY delivered consistent AWP impact, and NiKo found important opening duels that briefly gave Falcons the lead.
But Spirit flipped the script almost instantly: sh1ro and donk won several critical clutches, zweih shut down long approaches repeatedly, and two successful force-buys shattered Falcons’ economy. The closing stretch was all Spirit — disciplined, controlled, and entirely in command.
Player Stats
Match MVP — Ivan “zweih” Gogin
- 1.59 rating
- 93.3 ADR
- +5.14% swing
- 1.83 MK rating
zweih was the sharpest weapon in Spirit’s arsenal — combining aggression and precision, winning opening duels, holding crucial positions, and rescuing multiple rounds in high-pressure situations.
Team Play — Spirit in Full Control, Falcons Out of Answers
Spirit played disciplined, aggressive, and extremely flexible Counter-Strike. They adapted instantly to any tempo shift, punished every Falcons mistake, and dominated map control from start to finish.
Falcons, meanwhile, were forced into a reactive style. Only NiKo and m0NESY delivered stable impact, but the team as a whole struggled with structure, lost key micro-duels, and failed to contest map control.
VRS Impact
- Spirit: +57 pts (#5 → #4) — one of their biggest jumps in months, fully deserved
- Falcons: –12 pts (#2 → #2) — a painful but expected drop
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Spirit Advance, Falcons Fall into the Shadows
Spirit showed exactly why many teams feared facing them in playoffs. If they maintain this form, they instantly become one of the main candidates for the Major title. Falcons, meanwhile, exit the tournament in disappointment. After a promising Stage 3, they needed a statement victory — but instead, they crashed into the Spirit wall in their very first playoff match.
