StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: Team Spirit confidently defeat Liquid in the first round of Stage 3

Team Spirit opened the first round of Stage 3 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 with a convincing victory over Liquid on Train, taking the map 13:8. Donk delivered an ACE in the pistol round, dominated throughout the match, and finished with a phenomenal 2.38 rating, securing the MVP title without question.

The direction of the match was largely shaped by the map veto, where each team’s strategic priorities became evident:

1. Liquid removed Overpass
2. Liquid removed Ancient
3. Spirit removed Inferno
4. Spirit removed Mirage
5. Spirit removed Nuke
6. Liquid removed Dust2
7. Train was left over

Train began with an ACE from donk in the pistol round. Team Spirit held the edge in key moments on their CT side, building a strong lead. Liquid managed to string together a three-round streak to close the gap to 7:8, which looked like the beginning of a potential comeback. However, Spirit’s aggressive T-side and donk’s sharp aim carried them to a 13:8 victory on Train.

Match MVP

The undisputed MVP of the match was donk, who recorded 137.2 ADR, a +11.72% Swing, and an incredible 2.38 rating.

Liquid faced a very strong opponent and had a chance to create an upset early in Stage 3, but ultimately fall into the 0–1 bracket, while Spirit advance to 1–0. StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 3 runs from December 4 to 7, with only eight teams moving on to the playoffs to compete for the championship title and the $500,000 prize pool.