Spirit edge G2 to clinch BLAST Bounty S2 Finals berth despite donk’s off day

Team Spirit squeezed past G2 2–1 in the Stage-2 Round of 16 to secure a ticket to the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals in Malta. The IEM Cologne champions survived a rare dip from superstar donk, leaning instead on sh1ro and zont1x to close the series. 

How it happened

• Mirage — Spirit 13–11: G2’s game plan disrupted donk early, but Spirit strung together a mid-half surge off multi-kills from zont1x and zweih, with a key sh1ro clutch helping them over the line.

• Ancient — G2 13–8: huNter- powered G2 to a dominant 10–2 CT half and finished the map with a 1v3 to level the match, handing Spirit their first loss on Ancient after a six-map win streak. 

• Dust2 — Spirit 13–7: Spirit’s pistols and opening picks from sh1ro flipped the second half as they pulled away to seal qualification. Final series score: Mirage 13–11 (Spirit), Ancient 13–8 (G2), Dust2 13–7 (Spirit). 

The difference makers

• sh1ro topped the server (55–36, 1.29 rating) with crucial clutches; zont1x added steady impact (1.19 rating). donk finished below par (0.98 overall) and posted back-to-back sub-1.00 maps for the first time in 11 months—yet Spirit still advanced. 

• G2 coach Eetu “sAw” Saha said their plan wasn’t to directly “anti-donk,” but to avoid areas that enable his impact—an approach that limited him for large stretches. 

Selection twist & context

Under BLAST Bounty’s selection mechanic, G2 (seed 9) actively chose Spirit (seed 3)—a bold call given G2’s six-series win streak over Spirit dating back to June 2024, and their first meeting since NiKo and m0NESY departed the roster. 

Who these teams are right now

• Spirit arrive on the back of winning IEM Cologne 2025, where donk claimed his ninth HLTV MVP with a 1.50 event rating. 

• G2 have undergone a summer rebuild: m0NESY completed a high-profile move to Falcons (after NiKo joined Falcons earlier in the year), while SunPayus and MATYS signed on and huNter- assumed IGL duties with sAw as head coach. 

What’s next: Malta Finals

Spirit join the eight-team BLAST Bounty S2 Finals in Malta, August 14–17, concluding a week-long online phase. The event retains BLAST’s bounty mechanic (defeating a team claims half of its bounty; the rest rolls over), with spots filled from the online stage. 

Alright — here’s the expanded version with player-by-player heatmaps for Spirit in the G2 series and a mini-scout on G2’s new structure based on verified match data.

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Player-by-Player Breakdown — Spirit vs G2

sh1ro

• Role: AWPer / secondary caller

• Series rating: 1.29 (highest overall)

• Impact zones: Most effective holding Mirage mid with the AWP (avg. 1.47 rating there), consistent Dust2 long control (3 opening kills, 0 deaths in opening duels).

• Notable clutch: 1v2 retake on Mirage at 9–9 swing round.

zont1x

• Role: Rifler / anchor

• Series rating: 1.19

• Impact zones: Ancient B site anchor with 5 multi-kill rounds; Mirage connector control helped stabilize CT halves.

• Trend: Won 71% of duels in tight choke points.

donk

• Role: Entry star

• Series rating: 0.98 (rare low output)

• Impact zones: Struggled on Ancient A entries vs. huNter- and nexa crossfires; Mirage ramp entries also neutralized early.

• Stat note: First back-to-back sub-1.00 maps in 11 months.

zontix & zont1x synergy

• Notable CT setups on Mirage involved bait-and-trade positioning between zont1x (connector) and zontix (jungle), leading to 5/6 successful multi-kill sequences in the half.

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Mini-Scout: G2’s New IGL + AWP System

With huNter- as IGL and SunPayus as primary AWPer, G2’s calling showed some consistent traits in this match:

1. Map veto priorities

   • Pick: Ancient — still a comfort pick even post-NiKo/m0NESY, but reliant on CT side dominance.

   • Ban: Nuke first, followed by Vertigo.

   • Float: Mirage and Dust2 into deciders.

2. T-side calling patterns

   • Heavy focus on slow defaults leading to late-round 4-man executes.

   • Less mid-round reactivity compared to the NiKo era — structure is more rigid but allows SunPayus freedom to reposition.

3. AWP usage

   • SunPayus often parked on key anchor lines (Ancient mid doors, Mirage ticket booth) rather than aggressive peeks, relying on rifle cores to make space.

4. Synergy development

   • MATYS integrated into entry pack with nexa, but timings still looked off in split executions — seen especially in Mirage B splits.