Monte knock NAVI out of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 after a tense bo3
Natus Vincere unexpectedly lost to Monte in the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 match and ended their tournament run. The series was extremely close and kept the suspense until the very last rounds. Monte managed to impose their own pace, adapted well during the game, and executed better in the key moments. For NAVI, this defeat marked a painful end to the qualification, while Monte move on to the next round.
The map veto for the match looked as follows:
- Monte removed Ancient
- Natus Vincere removed Overpass
- Monte picked Nuke
- Natus Vincere picked Mirage
- Monte removed Anubis
- Natus Vincere removed Inferno
- Dust2 was left over
Nuke (13:11 NAVI)
The match started on Monte’s map pick. Already in the first half, NAVI applied strong pressure and secured a solid 8:4 lead. The situation slipped out of control when Monte switched to the CT side and put together a six-round streak to take the lead. Nuke was close to going into overtime, but NAVI denied their opponents the chance and closed the map with a narrow 13:11 victory.
Mirage (13:11 Monte)
NAVI lost their own map pick in a hard-fought battle. Despite leading 8:4 in the first half on the T side, they were unable to maintain the advantage after the side switch. Monte disrupted NAVI’s tempo, mounted a comeback from 4:8, and eventually edged out the map 13:11.
Dust2 (13:8 Monte)
Monte shocked fans on the deciding map. The first half was evenly contested, with both teams showing solid play and ending the half tied. After the side switch, NAVI failed to run their standard T-side effectively against Monte and managed to win only two rounds, allowing Monte to take the decider 13:8.
Match MVP
The best player of the match was Rainwaker, who finished the series with a Swing of +2.97% and a 1.23 rating.
#58
PARIVISION
#16
Astralis1.55Make a bet2.19BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1
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Inner Circle Esports#2
Team Spirit7.95Make a bet1.07BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1
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EYEBALLERS
#1
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FUT Esports
#9
FURIA4.79Make a bet1.17NAVI were considered one of the tournament favorites, but in this match Monte proved to be better prepared and showed their ability to adapt against a stronger opponent. This loss ends NAVI’s run at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, while Monte advance further. BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier takes place from January 13 to 18, where 32 teams compete for 8 spots at the LAN event in Malta.
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