Team Liquid Knock Out MIBR to Survive StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2

Team Liquid Knock Out MIBR to Survive StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2

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Liquid Bounce Back — MIBR Goes Home

Team Liquid avoided an early exit from the Budapest Major by defeating MIBR 2–0 in a best-of-three at Stage 2, Swiss Round 3. 
With this win Liquid moves into the 1-2 pool, while MIBR are eliminated. 

Stage 2 uses a Swiss-system format: most matches are Best-of-1, while elimination and advancement rounds (like this one) are Best-of-3. 

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Map-by-Map Breakdown

• Inferno: Liquid dominated — a 13-5 map win.

  • On the T-side, the star for Liquid was Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, who ended the first half with a 2.23 rating and helped build a strong lead.

  • MIBR tried to fight back — after a pistol round comeback by Raphael "exit" Lacerda — but couldn’t stop Liquid’s momentum once they had economy in hand.

• Mirage: MIBR showed more resistance — at one point down 8-11, they launched a late rally.

  • The match went into double overtime, but Liquid held cool under pressure and closed the map, sealing the series.

According to post-match comments, EliGE felt the win was a sign Liquid were finally starting to “find their feet” after a shaky bootcamp phase. 

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Context: Rough Start but Recovery Underway

Liquid’s path to this must-win match was bumpy: they began Stage 2 with two losses — first to PARIVISION, then to B8 — leaving them in the danger zone with a 0-2 record. 

The match versus MIBR was their last chance to survive — if they lost, they'd be eliminated from the major. 

With the 2–0 result, Liquid stayed alive — delivering on pressure and flashes of the potential many expected when the roster was formed. 

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What This Means for MIBR

For MIBR, this marks their eighth consecutive loss — a deep slump for the Brazilian squad. 
It also ends their run at the Budapest Major, denying them a shot at Stage 3.