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We turn our attention to Day 2 of Stage 1 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, one of the most anticipated offline CS2 events of the season. The tournament features a $1,250,000 prize pool, with group stage matches at MTK Sportpark and playoffs at the iconic MVM Dome in Budapest, Hungary.
Today, FaZe Clan and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) face off, both teams entering the day with a 1–1 record in the Swiss stage. FaZe will aim to leverage their individual skill and experience to get back on track, while NiP will look to assert themselves with coordinated strategies and strong team play.
Fans can expect a tight and exciting clash, with both teams fighting for a crucial win to improve their chances of advancing in the tournament.
How The Bookies View It: FaZe Slightly Favoured
According to the betting odds, FaZe Clan enter the matchup as slight favourites with a price of 1.56, while Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) are at 2.37. The odds suggest that bookmakers see FaZe’s individual firepower and experience giving them a small edge, but NiP remain very much capable of pulling off an upset in this BO1 clash. This matchup could go either way, and the tight odds reflect just how evenly matched the teams are on paper.
FaZe Clan form. What result can be expected from FaZe Clan
Team FaZe Clan in 2025 remains one of the most recognizable and competitive organizations in CS2. Starting as a content-focused clan in 2010, FaZe has grown into a top esports brand, known for blending experienced players with high-level talent. The team continues to focus on staying competitive at international events while adapting to the evolving CS2 meta.
The 2025 roster balances experience and skill: Helvijs “broky” Saukants provides consistent rifling and solid fragging; Finn “karrigan” Andersen leads as captain and IGL, directing strategy and coordination; David “frozen” Čerňanský offers flexible map control and reliable aim; Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski brings adaptable rifling and steady performance; and Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken adds clutch potential and precision. Coach Filip “NEO” Kubski guides tactics and team communication, keeping the squad coordinated.
- Team FaZe Clan 2025 roster: broky, karrigan, frozen, jcobbb, Twistzz.
In 2025, FaZe Clan has had mixed results in tournaments. They finished 7th–8th at CS Asia Championships 2025 ($10,000), 4th at ESL Pro League Season 22 ($22,000), and 5th–6th at BLAST Open Fall 2025 ($20,000). Online, they placed 3rd–4th in the BLAST Open Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier. Other events like the Esports World Cup 2025 (9th–16th, $20,000), BLAST Bounty Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier (9th–16th, $2,500), and IEM Cologne 2025 (7th–8th, $24,000) showed areas for improvement. Earlier in the year, they took 5th–8th at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 ($45,000), 9th–12th at IEM Dallas 2025 ($5,000), and 5th–6th at BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 ($25,000).
FaZe Clan’s strength comes from the combination of experienced leadership and skilled players. karrigan directs the team on and off the map, broky and jcobbb provide reliable firepower, frozen adds flexibility, and Twistzz can turn rounds in clutch moments. This mix helps FaZe stay competitive internationally, though the team is still looking for more consistent top finishes in major S-tier tournaments.
FaZe Clan Map Pool
Over the past three months, FaZe Clan has shown clear preferences and performance patterns across their map pool. Mirage has been their strongest map, boasting a 69.2% win rate, highlighting their comfort and tactical execution there. Ancient and Dust2 follow with moderate success at 54.5% and 50%, showing that the team can adapt and perform on different layouts. Inferno and Nuke have proven more challenging, with win rates of 44.4% and 42.9%, indicating room for improvement in mid-round control and site execution. Overpass and Train have been weaker areas: Overpass has yet to yield a victory, while Train is consistently used as a first ban, suggesting strategic avoidance rather than reliance.
NiP form. What result can be expected from NiP
In the first half of the 2023 season, NiP were remembered only for qualifying for the Paris Major 2023 after finishing 7th at European RMR B, as well as finishing in the top 8–11 at the Major itself. The team’s form slightly improved over the course of the season.
Although NiP lost in the Last Chance Qualifiers at Gamers8, they later performed well at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. They confidently advanced to the Fall Final, defeating such giants as Vitality.
NiP approached IEM Cologne 2023 in full combat readiness. There were no roster changes before the tournament, which clearly played in favor of the Swedish club.
In the first round of the Play-In at IEM Cologne 2023, Ninjas in Pyjamas faced Into The Breach. The match ended in an easy NiP win on Ancient with a score of 16-5.
In the match for a spot in the group stage of IEM Cologne 2023, NiP played against MOUZ. The "mice" outplayed the Swedes in class, allowing them to take only 19 rounds in two maps. The tournament ended for NiP in the top 16.
In the 2024 season, NiP drastically changed their roster, essentially carrying out a full rebuild of the team.
- NiP roster: r1nkle, ewjerkz, sjuush, xKacpersky, Snappi.
At PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European RMR A, NiP performed poorly — top 16. Things slightly improved in the second half of the year: top 2 at YaLLa Compass 2024, top 4 at FiReLEAGUE Global Final 2023. Among TIR-S tournaments, the best performance was at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups, where NiP managed to beat C9 and FaZe, but stopped at the top 8 after losing to Astralis.
Later, NiP played at BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2024 but failed to repeat the success of the previous BLAST tournament, finishing only top 16. They later placed top 28 at ESL Pro League Season 20 and top 16 at CCT Season 2 European Series #13. They also participated in the Thunderpick World Championship 2024, where they finished top 12 — a result that can hardly be called successful.
In the 2025 season, NiP participated in a large number of various qualifying tournaments. Only one of them ended in victory — PGL Astana 2025: European Qualifiers. However, at PGL Astana 2025 itself, NiP managed to reach the playoffs by winning their group with a 3-2 score — this was the Swedish club’s best result in the past 5 months of the 2025 season.
Ninjas in Pyjamas performed quite well at C and B-tier tournaments. The team won Fragadelphia x LVL UP EXPO 2025, placed 3rd–4th at The Proving Grounds Season 1, and finished 2nd at CCT Season 3 European Series #3.
The team also performed successfully at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025. In the upper bracket, NiP claimed victories over OG and parivision but were defeated by NAVI in the Upper Bracket Final. In the Lower Bracket Final, the team beat B8 and advanced to the Grand Final, where they lost to NAVI and finished 2nd in the tournament, earning $130,000.
Later in the year, NiP participated in PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, an A-Tier offline Counter-Strike 2 event. The team fought hard but fell 1:2 in the playoffs, finishing 15th–16th and earning $6,250.
NiP Map Pool
Over the past three months, NiP has shown a varied performance across different CS2 maps. Their strongest map is Train, with a 71.4% win rate, followed by Nuke at 61.5% when picked first and Ancient at 57.1%, highlighting their strength on maps that favor structured strategies and coordinated team play. Overpass and Dust2 have been more challenging, with win rates of 33.3% and 28.6% respectively, while Mirage, often banned first, has brought only 25% success. Inferno has been their weakest map recently, with 0% wins, indicating clear vulnerabilities on this popular competitive map. This map pool suggests that while NiP can dominate on strategic maps like Train and Nuke, they may face difficulties on more dynamic or commonly contested maps.
Head-to-Head: FaZe Clan vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
Looking back at the history between FaZe Clan and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP), the two teams have faced each other many times, but most of these matches happened quite a while ago and involved very different rosters. For example, in ESL Pro League Season 13 (March 2021), NiP managed a 2–0 victory over FaZe. Up to that point, the teams had met around 50 times, with NiP winning 22, FaZe 25, and 3 matches ending in a draw. In the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, FaZe took a 2–1 series win (16–10 Nuke, 13–16 Overpass, 16–8 Inferno). While the historical record shows a fairly balanced rivalry with a slight edge to FaZe, it’s worth noting that the current lineups are completely different, so past results may have limited predictive value for this matchup.
Predicted result of the match FaZe – NiP at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Both FaZe Clan and NiP enter Day 2 of Stage 1 with a 1–1 record, making this BO1 an important chance to get back on track. FaZe have the edge here thanks to their experience and individual skill. Players like broky and Twistzz can win crucial rounds on their own, and the team’s leadership under karrigan helps keep them coordinated in tense situations.NiP are capable on maps like Train and Nuke, but FaZe’s flexibility and recent form suggest they are more likely to control the game. In a BO1, FaZe’s stronger firepower and map knowledge give them a clear advantage.Overall, FaZe are expected to take this map, using their experience and teamwork to secure the win and move one step closer to advancing in the Swiss stage.
Prediction: FaZe win.
