Imperial Storm Past NRG to Reach Stage 2 at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

Imperial Storm Past NRG to Reach Stage 2 at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

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Imperial dominate NRG to advance

Imperial booked their place in Stage 2 of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 after a dominant 2–0 series win over NRG on 27 November 2025. 

• On Nuke, Imperial overcame a rough start — NRG raced to a 6-1 CT lead — but Imperial rebounded to tie the half 6-6. Their resilience on T-side, fueled by strong performances from Kaiky “noway” Santos and Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo, propelled them to a 13-8 win.

• On Train, NRG began with a pistol-round 4-kill from Jeorge “Jeorge” Endicott, briefly reviving hopes. However, Imperial’s pressure — especially targeting coach stand-in Damian “daps” Steele — overwhelmed NRG, resulting in a 13-5 closing map.

NRG’s campaign ends despite earlier highs

NRG entered the match after surprising victories over top teams, even while fielding their coach as stand-in. 
Their campaign faltered in Best-of-3 format, with struggles on T-side proving decisive. On both Nuke and Train, NRG’s execute tactics and offence were repeatedly shut down by Imperial’s aggressive site-pressure and firepower. 

Imperial benefitted from a favourable draw

Imperial’s path to Stage 2 was aided by what HLTV described as a “kind draw.” The Brazilian side entered Stage 1 with losses to the strongest teams, fnatic and FlyQuest, but managed to progress thanks to wins over lower-ranked teams such as Rare Atom, The Huns, and ultimately NRG. 

What’s next for Imperial

With this 2–0 victory, Imperial continue their journey in Budapest. According to their team profile, their next matchup is scheduled against MIBR on 29 November.