StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: G2 confidently defeat Passion UA in the first round of Stage 3

G2 made a dominant start in the opening round of Stage 3 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, overwhelming Passion UA on Mirage. The European superteam controlled the match from the very first rounds, closing it out 13:8, with HeavyGod claiming MVP honors thanks to a 1.56 rating.

The direction of the match was largely determined during the map veto, where each team’s strategic priorities became clear:

1. Passion UA removed Ancient
2. Passion UA removed Dust2
3. G2 removed Nuke
4. G2 removed Overpass
5. G2 removed Train
6. Passion UA removed Inferno
7. Mirage was left over

The first half of Mirage was entirely under G2’s control. Starting on the CT side, they dominated the early rounds and gave Passion UA no opportunity to gain momentum. The halftime score was 11:1 in favor of G2. Switching to defense, the Ukrainian team attempted to close the gap and reached 8:12, but G2 closed out Mirage 13:8 without major difficulties.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was HeavyGod, who recorded 101.5 ADR, a +4.93% Swing, and a 1.56 rating.

Passion UA begin Stage 3 with a loss and fall into the 0–1 bracket, while G2 confidently move forward with a 1–0 record. StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 3 runs from December 4 to 7, with only eight teams advancing to the playoffs to compete for the championship title and the $500,000 prize pool.