We continue publishing betting predictions for BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 — the main tournament of this summer. The third round of the first stage of the world championship is currently underway, where only 8 out of 16 teams will advance to the next stage.
Today, OG and NRG will face each other. Both teams have shown solid results at the start of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. They are currently sitting in 5th and 6th place in the standings.
This upcoming match is a good opportunity for a CS2 betting prediction, as a 3-1 record is at stake. Let’s now try to figure out who will advance to the second stage, and who will be left with one last chance and the risk of elimination.
How the bookies view it: OG Favorite
Before moving on to the match analysis and CS2 betting tips, we should first identify the favorite in the OG vs NRG matchup. The most objective indicator here is the bookmakers' odds.
Most esports betting experts give the advantage to OG. The average odds for their victory range from 1.50 to 1.55. Despite not participating in Tier-S tournaments recently, OG has looked solid at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. This stable performance is exactly what makes them the favorites in this matchup.
Now let’s move on to a more detailed analysis.
OG form. What result can be expected from OG
Let’s start our analysis with the favorite of the upcoming match — OG. First, let’s take a look at their recent results to understand why they are considered the favorite.
Recently, the team hasn’t participated in Tier-S level tournaments. Most of their appearances have been in Tier-B and Tier-C events. Among their latest results is a 3rd-4th place finish at CCT Season 3 European Series #1, where they lost to PARIVISION 0:2. At Thunderpick World Championship 2025: European Series #1, they finished 5th-8th after losing to Astrum. In a Tier-C tournament, they also placed 5th-8th, losing to Spirit.A.
From a betting tips perspective, OG’s recent consistency at lower-tier tournaments explains why many still consider them the favorites for this matchup.
Player | Time on team | Maps played | Rating 2.1 |
F1KU | 3 years | 566 | 1.02 |
Chr1zN | 10 months | 223 | 1.01 |
Buzz | 9 months | 223 | 1.05 |
spooke | 5 months | 141 | 1.08 |
nicoodoz | 2 months | 26 | 1.25 |
The team’s coach is Lambert, who has been with the roster for 1 year and 1 months. He has coached 255 maps with a win rate of 54%.
NRG form. What result can be expected from NRG
Now let’s take a look at NRG ’s recent results. Currently, the team sits at 34th place in the HLTV rankings, which is significantly higher than their opponents from OG. But how much does this really matter? Let’s break it down as part of our CS2 betting prediction.
Recently, NRG has only participated in one Tier-S level tournament — Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025. Unfortunately, after losing two matches in a row, they finished 13th-16th.
The rest of their appearances were in Tier-B and Tier-C events, where their results were better. At Thunderpick World Championship 2025: North American Series #1, the team reached the final and finished in 2nd place, losing to Legacy 0:2.
Among their other achievements is ESL Challenger League Season 49: North America, where NRG took 1st place after defeating Nouns Esports in the final.
Finally, at the Tier-C event NA Revival Series #6, NRG once again secured 1st place, beating Nouns Esports in the final.
Player | Time on team | Maps played | Rating 2.1 |
HexT | 1 year 6 months | 357 | 1.17 |
oSee | 1 year 6 months | 357 | 1.16 |
nitr0 | 11 months | 233 | 1.09 |
Jeorge | 6 months | 136 | 1.19 |
br0 | 4 months | 112 | 1.17 |
The team’s coach is daps, who has been with the roster for 1 year and 2 months. He has coached 303 maps with a win rate of 67%.
Recent head to head: OG edging it
This is the first meeting between these teams. They have never faced each other in official tournaments before.
Players to watch: nicoodoz and br0
Both teams are showing decent results with their full rosters at this tournament. However, there are a few players who are particularly interesting to watch.
OG’s newcomer nicoodoz is participating in his first Major but is delivering an incredible performance, showing the highest HLTV 2.1 rating at 1.87.
On the NRG side, br0 definitely deserves attention. He’s an experienced player who consistently delivers stable and confident performances.
Probable map picks
Let’s try to figure out which maps are most likely to be picked in this match. Both teams will likely ban each other’s strongest maps and try to leave a map that is comfortable for both sides. However, it’s also possible that one of the teams might surprise us by picking their opponent’s preferred map. The match will be played in a Bo3 format.
When analyzing potential CS2 picks, the most likely map options are Anubis, Dust2, and Inferno. Let me explain my reasoning — the analysis is based on both teams’ performances over the past 3 months, rather than their all-time statistics.
Which maps does pick and ban most often OG?
Here is the table with the teams’ map results over the past few months.
Category | Map | Winrate | Notes |
Strongest maps | Anubis | 81.8% | 9W-2L |
| Nuke | 78.6% | 11W-3L |
| Ancient | 69.2% | 18W-8L (First Pick) |
Average performance | Inferno | 53.8% | 7W-6L |
| Mirage | 50.0% | 6W-6L |
| Dust2 | 44.4% | 4W-5L |
Weakest maps | Train | 0.0% | 0W-2L First Ban |
Based on win rates, Anubis looks like the strongest map. However, the most played — and apparently favorite — maps for the team are Ancient and Nuke. So we can expect to see one of these maps in today’s match.
Which maps does pick and ban most often NRG?
Now let’s move on to NRG and take a look at their strongest and weakest maps.
Category | Map | Winrate | Notes |
Strongest maps | Dust2 | 81.8% | 18W-4L First Pick |
| Anubis | 80.0% | 4W-1L |
| Inferno | 71.4% | 5W-2L |
Average performance | Train | 66.7% | 8W-4L |
| Mirage | 62.5% | 10W-6L |
| Nuke | 50.0% | 6W-6L |
| | | |
As we can see, NRG’s favorite and strongest map at the moment is Dust2. Meanwhile, OG tends to struggle on this map. Additionally, OG really dislikes Train, so it’s very likely that they will ban it, while Dust2 will become NRG’s pick.
On the other hand, NRG hasn’t played Ancient recently, so it’s quite possible that they will ban it right away, since they are fairly comfortable on the remaining maps.
Predicted result of the match
So, we’ve reached the end, and it’s time to make a betting prediction on who is more likely to win this match in Stage 1 of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. The Bo3 format is very different from Bo1, and randomness plays a much smaller role in the outcome. However, let’s not forget that this is a Major — anything can happen here.
That said, let’s focus on the available data. If we look at the teams’ recent results, NRG appears stronger than their opponent. They have a higher win rate and multiple first-place finishes at tournaments.
But there’s one factor that’s worth considering. The level of CS competition in the American region is lower than in Europe, and there’s less overall competition. This gives OG a significant advantage here, which is important to take into account for your betting tips.
So my prediction is a 2-1 victory for OG.
However, I’ll repeat — this is a Bo3, and while experience plays an important role, we shouldn’t forget about the psychological factor. Both teams are riding on momentum and are in a strong emotional state after their recent victories, so anything can happen in this match. Good luck, and may the team you’re supporting come out on top.
