This is it—the last Bo3 of Stage 2 at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. Welcome to EGamersWorld, we continue to follow the action as MongolZ and FaZe battle for a Top 8 spot in the playoffs. Both squads have shown flashes of brilliance and serious flaws this week, but only one survives.
How the bookies view it: FaZe favorite
Let me start by saying — for myself and all s1mple fans — this is going to be an exciting match. It’s the first clash between Kostyliev’s squad and the cold-blooded Mongolian lineup. On paper, it looks like a win for The MongolZ, but let’s take a closer look at why FaZe are actually the favorites here.
Despite mixed results lately, bookmakers have FaZe slightly ahead based on reputation, lineup star power, and big-event pedigree. But MongolZ, currently ranked higher in both HLTV and Valve rankings, have been the more consistent team in the last two months. If this were a Bo1, FaZe might feel safer—but over three maps, it gets much messier.
MongolZ form. What result can be expected from MongolZ
MongolZ have had a solid campaign so far, finishing IEM Dallas in the semis, and beating Liquid, G2, and even NAVI over the last four weeks. In Austin, they pushed FURIA to the edge, and stomped both Liquid and Lynn Vision in Bo1s. Their style is fast, unforgiving, and favors pressure CT setups and aggressive mid-rounding. Still, they’ve shown cracks under stress, especially against tier-1 late game decision-making, which FaZe might try to exploit.
- bLitz
- Techno
- Senzu
- mzinho
- 910
This five has been together long enough to look sharp in both defaults and gambles. They’re scary when they get early picks and often turn 4v5s into wins.
FaZe form. What result can be expected from FaZe
FaZe's path to this Bo3 has been rocky. They lost 0–2 to both Legacy and 3DMAX, and then scraped through with wins over MIBR, MOUZ, and Legacy again. Their core issues remain—slow T sides, map pool weaknesses, and inconsistent fragging from veterans like karrigan and rain. But when s1mple and frozen turn up, they still swing rounds no other duo can. If they can stop MongolZ’s confidence early, they might control the series. If not, they could get overrun.
- karrigan
- s1mple
- rain
- EliGE
- frozen
The average age shows—some rounds look genius, others sluggish. But when FaZe hits momentum, they snowball harder than most.
Recent head to head: MongolZ edging it
These teams haven’t played many officials recently, but MongolZ did beat FaZe in a Bo1 at IEM Melbourne this year. That was with the same roster FaZe fields now. It wasn’t a stomp, but MongolZ clearly looked more comfortable in the mid-round and punished FaZe’s loose CT setups with clean spacing and lurks. History slightly favors the Mongolians.
Players to watch: Senzu and frozen
Senzu has quietly become MongolZ’s most clutch player. His stats on CT sides are elite, especially when anchoring solo sites. For FaZe, frozen is still the most stable rifler, often bailing the team out in bad halves. If he performs, FaZe always has a shot. But if he disappears and s1mple has to hard-carry, that’s usually a bad sign. However, I personally am interested in seeing sniper duels, like 910 vs s1mple.
Probable map picks
Expect a standard comfort-pick approach from both teams. Neither side is known for deep veto tricks, and both like to pick into what they’re confident on rather than anti-stratting.
Which maps does pick and ban most often MongolZ?
MongolZ love Inferno, Overpass, and Mirage. Their bans almost always include Ancient and Vertigo, and they’ve also avoided Anubis recently. They play a high-pace CT side on Inferno and rely on tight banana control with double-nades. If Inferno is in, they’ll probably pick it.
Which maps does pick and ban most often FaZe?
FaZe’s map pool is thinner than it used to be. They like Nuke and Mirage when they feel hot, and usually ban Vertigo first. Lately, they’ve also avoided Anubis and Ancient. If Nuke is open, it’s their most structured pick, with frozen and EliGE holding key outside and ramp timings. They usually try to push the series toward Mirage if it goes to map three.
Anything else catch the eye?
Don’t underestimate momentum. MongolZ starts hot—if they win map one, they’re very likely to carry the pace into the second map. FaZe struggles to recover mid-series and have lost four of their last five Bo3s after losing the first map. Also, watch MongolZ’s utility usage. Their spacing and flash setups are Tier 1, and they don’t overpeak—something FaZe often tries to bait.
Predicted result of the match
Unless s1mple and frozen go nuclear, FaZe is at real risk here. MongolZ look more structured, faster in execution, and more confident in mid-round fights. They’ve beaten better teams than this FaZe lineup over the last month and look hungry. FaZe might grab a map, but MongolZ should edge it in three.
Predicted Winner: MongolZ
