Fnatic Qualify for Stage 2 as NRG Miss Second Chance at StarLadder Budapest Major

NRG, still fielding coach Damian “daps” Steele for the absent Nick “nitr0” Cannella, now drop into a decisive 2–2 elimination match.

Fnatic Complete Comeback After Mirage Collapse

Mirage: NRG stunned Fnatic 13–3, with daps delivering one of his best maps on LAN.

Inferno: Fnatic responded 13–9 behind a breakout performance from Nikita “jackasmo” Skyba, who posted a 1.48 map rating.

Dust2: jackasmo and Benjamin “blameF” Bremer closed out the 13–8 decider, punching Fnatic’s ticket to Stage 2.

NRG’s Alexander “br0” Bro finished as the highest-rated player of the series overall, continuing a strong individual Major run.

jackasmo Steps Up as fEAR’s Rebuild Shows Results

Fnatic’s young rifler proved crucial in the comeback, validating in-game leader Rodion “fEAR” Smyk’s earlier defense of signing him:

“At that moment, I felt like this is the best choice; it’s not like I want to bring my friend,” fEAR told HLTV.

jackasmo previously impressed at the Shanghai Major, and Budapest marks his first major-tier breakout for Fnatic.

NRG Go From 2–0 Start to Survival Mode

NRG opened Budapest with upsets over NiP and FaZe, but faltered against M80 and now Fnatic.

daps admitted before the event that playing as a stand-in came with minimal preparation:

“I started playing a lot more actively the last two weeks… just pugging, DMing and practicing utility.”

With nitr0 unavailable due to the birth of his child, NRG now need one final win to avoid an early Major exit.

Elsewhere in Budapest

M80 qualified 3–0 after sweeping NRG.

Ninjas in Pyjamas earned their Stage 2 spot with a clean win over Fluxo.

FaZe Clan narrowly avoided elimination after an early upset loss to NRG.

What’s Next?

Fnatic move into Stage 2 with momentum and a rapidly improving jackasmo.

NRG face a final 2–2 decider to stay alive at the Major—still with daps in the lineup.