Spirit go three-for-three against MOUZ to reach BLAST Bounty grand final

Spirit go three-for-three against MOUZ to reach BLAST Bounty grand final

August 16, 2025 — Team Spirit have secured their place in the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Grand Final, defeating MOUZ for the third consecutive time in just as many weeks. This marks a dominant display of form and tactical consistency from the Russian squad. 

Semi-final breakdown: Ancient and Mirage

Their semifinal clash was reminiscent of their IEM Cologne 2025 final—a dominant run marked by strategic dismantling of their opponents. 

• Ancient: MOUZ looked strong on the CT-side early, turning the half into a tense battle. However, danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov spearheaded a comeback with disciplined mid-round rotations and overaggressive CT pressure. Donk’s mechanical impact, combined with Chopper’s dynamic flanks, swung momentum.

• Mirage: After the momentum on Ancient, Spirit poured it into Mirage—dictating pace with sharp utility usage and coordinated executes. The half ended decisively, featuring meticulous mid-control and punishing rotations from the Russian side.

donk’s performance stands out

As consistently reflected in community and post-match discussions, donk delivered another MVP-worthy showing. Averaging close to a 1.4+ rating, his presence on both key maps amplified Spirit’s mid-round clarity and trade reliability. He continues to prove why he's one of the world’s rising stars in CS2 playmaking. 

Head-to-head trend: Spirit hold the edge in recent clashes

Spirit have now secured three straight series wins over MOUZ. After a clean 3–0 victory in the IEM Cologne 2025 Grand Final, this victory cements their psychological and strategic upper hand heading into the final. 

Tournament context: BLAST Bounty roadmap

BLAST Bounty Season 2 features a $500K prize pool and a 32-team double-elimination format, hosted in Malta’s BLAST Studio. Spirit now await the winner of Vitality vs The MongolZ in the grand final, setting up a climactic showdown. 

Vitality vs The MongolZ decided the other finalist, with The MongolZ delivering a clean sweep over Vitality to earn their first ticket to a Bounty final. 

Strategic implications and outlook

• Consistency remains Spirit’s signature. Their back-to-back titles at previous IEM and BLAST events are a testament to their growing dominance in the CS2 competitive landscape.

• MOUZ’s path forward reflects growing pains in closing out high-pressure matches. Despite strong individual frames, they’ve yet to break the tactical mold imposed by Spirit in repeated series.

• Grand final predictions tilt toward Spirit, but The MongolZ pose an intriguing, unconventional threat. Their unpredictable aggression could unsettle Spirit’s rhythm—making for a potentially electrifying championship clash.

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Summary:

Once again, Spirit have shown they’re the team to beat—tactically disciplined, mechanically sharp, and mentally resilient. After a hard-fought Ancient half and a dominant Mirage showing, they exit MOUZ in the semis to book their place in the BLAST Bounty S2 final. Donk again shines, history favors Spirit head-to-head, and now attention shifts to who they'll face in the grand final—Vitality or the hot-streaking MongolZ.