Spirit Survive FaZe to Reach BLAST Bounty Final as Astralis–MOUZ Decide Last Spot

Spirit have secured the first place in the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 2 grand final, but their route through FaZe was considerably less comfortable than their dominant quarterfinal victory over Liquid suggested it might be.

After splitting Dust2 and Cache, Spirit recovered from 6–1 and 10–5 deficits on the deciding Anubis to close the series 2–1. Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov led the turnaround on a rare quiet day for Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, while FaZe were eliminated following their second consecutive top-four finish.

The second semifinal between Astralis and MOUZ remained live when this article was finalized. Astralis selected MOUZ during the opponent draft, leaving FaZe to face Spirit by default, and the winner will meet Spirit in the best-of-five grand final on August 2. The eight-team Finals in Malta use a single-elimination bracket, with best-of-three series until the title match.

Quick Results

The completed scores and the live status of Astralis–MOUZ were verified through the respective match reports and official match pages.

Main Storylines

Spirit find a way to win without a donk takeover

Spirit’s quarterfinal was built around donk’s overwhelming individual output. He posted a 1.76 rating and 107.4 ADR against Liquid, finishing the two-map series with 42 kills and only 20 deaths.

That version of donk did not appear against FaZe. The rifler finished the semifinal with a 0.94 rating and a negative kill-to-death record, yet Spirit still progressed because sh1ro, Boris “magixx” Vorobiev and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia supplied the decisive impact.

For a team often discussed through the performance of its biggest star, reaching a grand final on one of his quieter days is arguably more instructive than another one-sided victory.

Recovery defined the Malta bracket

Most of the quarterfinalists were forced to solve serious problems before reaching the final four.

MOUZ survived a triple-overtime Nuke against 3DMAX after dropping Dust2. FaZe overturned a 3–12 deficit against The MongolZ by winning 13 consecutive rounds. Astralis lost their opening map to paiN and then surrendered ten combined map points across Inferno and Mirage before winning both in overtime.

Spirit’s 2–0 victory over Liquid was the only quarterfinal that never developed into a genuine elimination scare.

Astralis’ opponent choice carries immediate consequences

Astralis were the higher seed in their side of the semifinal draft and chose MOUZ rather than Spirit. That decision sent FaZe into the tournament favorite and produced the first confirmed finalist.

It was a logical selection based on the teams’ level and the danger posed by Spirit, but MOUZ entered the semifinal with the stronger recent head-to-head record against Astralis. The Danish-majority team therefore avoided one difficult opponent only to accept another matchup that had repeatedly favored MOUZ.

Match Breakdown

Spirit defeat FaZe 2–1

FaZe came closer to eliminating Spirit than the pre-match gap between the teams suggested. They responded to a poor opening map, recovered from an early deficit on Cache and then built another substantial lead on Anubis.

Spirit’s stronger late-round decision-making ultimately separated the teams. Instead of forcing the issue after falling behind on the decider, they slowed the game down, denied FaZe reliable information and repeatedly arrived at the correct site late in the round.

Dust2 — Spirit 13–6

Spirit immediately justified their map selection. FaZe struggled to establish a stable economy or contain Spirit’s multi-kill potential, while magixx, sh1ro and zont1x supplied the control needed to keep the opener from becoming competitive.

The 13–6 result appeared to confirm the expected difference between the teams, but FaZe’s response on Cache changed the shape of the series.

Cache — FaZe 13–9

Spirit carried their momentum into a 6–1 lead, but FaZe reduced the deficit before halftime and then took control on the more comfortable CT side.

Ryan “Neityu” Aubry’s rapid Deagle triple was one of the key economy-breaking moments, while David “frozen” Čerňanský recovered from a slow opening map. FaZe handled the ensuing force-buy exchanges better and converted their comeback into a 13–9 victory.

Anubis — Spirit 13–11

FaZe opened a 6–1 advantage on the T side and extended their lead to 10–5 after winning the second pistol. Their upset opportunity was real, but the remaining rounds increasingly followed Spirit’s preferred tempo.

sh1ro began finding openings and round-saving AWP kills, while Spirit’s delayed attacks left FaZe uncertain about the final destination of each round. FaZe briefly interrupted the comeback with an aggressive A-side play, only to lose the next attempt out of Connector.

Spirit completed the recovery 13–11, with the final round decided by a last-second bomb plant. sh1ro finished the series with 49 kills, 31 deaths and a team-leading 1.24 rating. Twistzz was FaZe’s highest-rated player at 1.10.

Astralis vs. MOUZ — second semifinal live

The second semifinal had not finished at the fact-check cutoff, so no provisional score has been presented as a completed result.

Astralis, ranked No. 15 on the live match page, selected No. 10 MOUZ during the opponent draft. The current Astralis lineup features phzy, HooXi, jabbi, Staehr and ryu, while MOUZ are fielding xelex, Spinx, xertioN, torzsi and PR.

Ancient — Astralis pick

Astralis removed Nuke and selected Ancient. It was a sensible attempt to begin the series on structured ground where HooXi’s team could dictate the pace rather than immediately entering one of MOUZ’s strongest comfort maps.

Ancient was still in progress when the article was finalized, so the changing live score has been omitted.

Mirage — MOUZ pick

MOUZ responded with Mirage after removing Anubis. The map gives xertioN’s team opportunities to create early space for Spinx and PR while allowing torzsi to influence both extremities with the AWP.

Recent meetings also favored MOUZ heavily on Mirage, including a 13–1 victory during ESL Pro League Season 23 and a 13–4 win at the 2025 BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals. Those results came with different versions of the two rosters, but they help explain MOUZ’s confidence in the selection.

Dust2 — decider if required

Dust2 was left as the third map after Astralis removed Inferno and MOUZ removed Cache. Both teams have enough individual AWP quality to make the map volatile, with phzy and torzsi likely to have a major influence should the series reach the decider.

How the Semifinalists Reached the Final Four

Spirit sweep Liquid 2–0

Liquid’s new lineup was unable to match Spirit over a full series, although 17-year-old Georgi “Jorko” Mitev produced an encouraging LAN debut.

Dust2 — Spirit 13–7

Liquid opened with the first two rounds, and Jorko delivered several important AWP moments, but Spirit’s eight-round attacking half gave them control. Jorko recorded a 1.62 rating on the map, yet Liquid could not prevent Spirit from closing comfortably after the side switch.

Anubis — Spirit 13–5

Liquid won only three CT rounds on their own pick. donk accelerated the finish with a four-kill pistol round after halftime and later won the closing one-on-one against Jorko before completing the defuse.

donk ended the series with a 1.76 rating and 107.4 ADR. Jorko was Liquid’s best player overall at 1.16, but the rest of the lineup could not provide enough resistance.

MOUZ overcome 3DMAX 2–1

MOUZ were punished for repeated mistakes across the opening two maps before finally finding their normal level on Inferno.

Dust2 — 3DMAX 13–10

3DMAX repeatedly pressured newcomer PR at the B site and established a 4–0 start. MOUZ recovered, but a low-buy victory built around Jeremy “Kursy” Gast’s multi-kill and one-on-two prevented them from completing the comeback.

Nuke — MOUZ 22–18

The second map descended into a series of force-buy losses, missed utility and clutches. MOUZ repeatedly gave 3DMAX routes back into the map, but torzsi’s AWP performance kept the favorites alive through three overtimes.

Inferno — MOUZ 13–3

The mistakes disappeared on the decider. xertioN’s calls repeatedly created favorable fights, while Spinx and PR supplied the entries and multi-kills needed to end the series without another scare.

torzsi finished the match with 67 kills, 44 deaths and a 1.38 rating.

FaZe reverse-sweep The MongolZ 2–1

FaZe’s victory was built around one of the most dramatic recoveries of the tournament and another strong performance from their on-loan AWPer.

Nuke — FaZe 16–12

The MongolZ reached a 12–3 lead and appeared one round away from taking the opener. FaZe then won 13 consecutive rounds, dominating the second half on CT before posting a perfect defensive sequence in overtime.

Neityu completed the comeback with the final clutch.

Mirage — The MongolZ 13–7

The MongolZ responded with a much cleaner attacking half. bLitz and tikuak powered a 9–3 advantage, and FaZe’s limited second-half recovery never seriously threatened the result.

Ancient — FaZe 13–8

JBOEN was decisive in several disadvantaged situations and helped FaZe secure a 9–3 attacking half. The MongolZ briefly threatened after the break, but the Danish AWPer’s multi-kills stabilized the defense.

JBOEN finished the series at 56–41 with a 1.16 rating.

Astralis outlast paiN 2–1

Astralis gained revenge for their 0–2 defeat to paiN during Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, but their inability to close advantages nearly cost them another series.

Nuke — paiN 13–10

Astralis started well on the CT side and reached double digits after the break. paiN then took over defensively, producing a six-round run led by vsm and snow to steal the opening map.

Inferno — Astralis 19–17

Astralis built an 8–2 lead on their pick, only for paiN to erase five separate map points across regulation and overtime. Key Astralis clutches finally ended the resistance in double overtime.

Mirage — Astralis 16–14

HooXi’s team raced into a 6–0 start and later held a 12–7 lead. paiN again forced overtime, but Astralis recovered before the comeback could become another map loss.

Staehr led Astralis with 66 kills, 81.0 ADR and a 1.23 rating. Astralis nevertheless surrendered ten combined map points across Inferno and Mirage, an issue they could not afford to repeat against MOUZ.

Head-to-Head Context

Spirit vs. FaZe

The teams had only one recent recorded meeting before the Malta semifinal: Spirit defeated FaZe 13–5 on Dust2 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

That result offered limited predictive value because FaZe have since undergone substantial changes. Neityu initially joined as a stand-in, while JBOEN arrived on loan from BIG Academy following broky’s benching. The current version of FaZe is therefore tactically and structurally different from the lineup Spirit faced in Budapest.

Astralis vs. MOUZ

MOUZ won three of the four series listed in BLAST’s recent head-to-head record before the semifinal:

• MOUZ 2–1 Astralis — ESL Pro League Season 23, 2026
• MOUZ 2–0 Astralis — BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals, 2025
• MOUZ 2–1 Astralis — PGL Cluj-Napoca, 2025
• Astralis 2–0 MOUZ — BLAST Premier World Final, 2024

MOUZ’s advantage is meaningful, particularly after their July 2026 ESL Pro League victory. However, both organizations are now using substantially altered lineups, making the current veto and recent form more useful than the oldest meetings.

Astralis vs. paiN

The quarterfinal was a direct revenge match for Astralis. paiN had beaten them in two maps during Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, but Astralis responded in Malta by surviving two overtimes to eliminate the Brazilian side.

Key Players

The player statistics are taken from the completed series reports and match pages.

Interesting Facts

• FaZe won 13 consecutive rounds after falling 12–3 behind The MongolZ on Nuke.
• MOUZ needed triple overtime to defeat 3DMAX 22–18 on Nuke.
• Astralis wasted ten combined map points across Inferno and Mirage against paiN but still won both maps in overtime.
• The paiN victory gave Astralis their first LAN semifinal appearance since PGL Bucharest.
• Spirit reached the grand final despite donk finishing the FaZe series with a 0.94 rating.
• FaZe have now recorded consecutive top-four finishes following their XSE Pro League run and the addition of JBOEN.
• JBOEN is on loan from BIG Academy through the end of 2026, while Neityu initially entered FaZe as a stand-in.

Tournament Implications

Spirit are guaranteed a top-two finish and will enter the grand final with two contrasting victories behind them: a dominant sweep of Liquid and a narrow comeback against FaZe.

FaZe exit in the 3rd–4th-place bracket position. The result ends their title challenge but does not erase the progress shown by their revised roster. HLTV’s post-match calculation placed FaZe at No. 13 in the preliminary Valve Regional Standings, close to the direct-invite range for ESL Pro League and IEM Beijing ahead of invitations scheduled for August 3. As a preliminary forecast, that position remains subject to the final ranking update.

Astralis and MOUZ are playing for the remaining grand-final place. The winner moves into a best-of-five against Spirit; the loser joins FaZe in the semifinal elimination positions.

What Comes Next?

Spirit will have to prepare for two different opponents until the second semifinal is complete. Astralis would bring a structured, HooXi-led approach and the confidence of surviving paiN under heavy pressure. MOUZ would offer stronger recent head-to-head results, a dangerous AWPer in torzsi and a lineup that improved sharply once it settled into the 3DMAX series.

FAQ

Which teams won the BLAST Bounty quarterfinals?

Spirit defeated Liquid, MOUZ eliminated 3DMAX, FaZe beat The MongolZ and Astralis overcame paiN.

Which team has reached the grand final?

Spirit are the first confirmed finalist after defeating FaZe 2–1.

Which teams have been eliminated?

Liquid, 3DMAX, The MongolZ and paiN were eliminated in the quarterfinals. FaZe were then eliminated by Spirit in the semifinals.

What were the map scores in Spirit vs. FaZe?

Spirit won Dust2 13–6, FaZe responded on Cache 13–9, and Spirit completed the series with a 13–11 comeback on Anubis.

Who were the leading performers?

donk recorded a 1.76 rating against Liquid, torzsi posted 1.38 against 3DMAX, Staehr led Astralis against paiN at 1.23, and sh1ro topped the Spirit–FaZe semifinal at 1.24.

Who will Spirit play in the grand final?

Spirit will face the winner of Astralis vs. MOUZ in the best-of-five grand final on August 2.