Team Spirit Eliminate The MongolZ from BLAST Rivals S2

Team Spirit Eliminate The MongolZ from BLAST Rivals S2

Team Spirit kept their BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 2 campaign alive with a decisive 2–0 victory over The MongolZ in the Group A elimination match in Hong Kong, sending the Mongolian squad home without a single series win. The loss marks a sharp contrast to The MongolZ’s quarter-final finish at IEM Chengdu and serves as their final LAN appearance before the StarLadder Budapest Major.

Map Recap: donk Leads Spirit’s Revenge Run

Dust2 (13–6 Spirit)

Spirit opened the series on their map pick and quickly seized control despite dropping the pistol round. Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov’s squad built an 8–4 half and never let The MongolZ find momentum in their CT setups.
Although the Mongolian side claimed both pistols, their gun rounds fell flat. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets delivered a standout performance, posting a massive 2.73 CT rating and sealing the map 13–6 almost single-handedly.

Ancient (13–10 Spirit)

The MongolZ’s pick proved far more contested. A key 1v2 clutch from Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch kept the halftime deficit to just 7–5.
After halftime, The MongolZ again took the pistol and tied the score 7–7, briefly taking control. But once rifles came out, Spirit regained stability. A late push from The MongolZ threatened to extend the series, but a momentum-shifting quad-kill from donk secured Spirit’s 13–10 win.

donk topped the series with 45–29 K-D and a 1.72 rating, supported by strong performances from Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich and the rest of Spirit’s reshaped roster.

A Narrative Twist: Payback for Chengdu

The victory comes shortly after The MongolZ eliminated Spirit at IEM Chengdu with a 2–1 upset — their first series win over Spirit since 2024.
At Chengdu, stand-in Unudelger “controlez” Baasanjargal delivered impact rounds across maps, while 910 closed crucial clutches. Spirit’s own issues at the time were highlighted by struggles to integrate new additions tN1R and Ivan “zweih” Gogin after the departure of Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia.

At BLAST Rivals, the tables turned: this time, Spirit survive while The MongolZ exit early. The Russians now advance to face the loser of Vitality vs FURIA in the quarter-finals.

The MongolZ’s Rough Run in Hong Kong

The MongolZ leave the event with a disappointing 0–2 record in matches and 0–4 in maps. Their tournament opened with a tight 1–2 loss to Passion UA:

They edged out Overpass 16–14 in overtime.

On Inferno and Nuke, they built early leads but faltered in closing moments, losing both maps 11–13.

Despite the defeats, Ayush “mzinho” Batbold and controlez delivered strong individual performances, hinting at the potential of the lineup even amid structural issues.

“We’re Focused on the Major”: Player Reactions

Following the elimination, mzinho emphasized that the team sees Rivals primarily as preparation for the upcoming Major:

“We’re just now focused on the Major.”

He noted that The MongolZ will travel to Europe for a short bootcamp, expecting 7–10 days of practice ahead of Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major—crucial time for integrating controlez, who continues to stand in for Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold.

2025 has already been a breakthrough year for both the organization and mzinho himself. After reaching the BLAST.tv Austin Major final, the young star reflected on his rapid rise, saying he was “just a kid watching Counter-Strike” before suddenly finding himself on the biggest stage. He has also spoken about the overwhelming support at large arenas, describing American crowds as feeling like home and fueling the team’s aggressive style.

Spirit’s Trajectory and What Comes Next

For Spirit, this win is a stabilizing moment in a turbulent season. The team opened 2025 with an IEM Katowice victory powered by donk’s MVP performance but has since sought consistency while integrating sh1ro as primary AWPer and tN1R into the rifling core.

sh1ro’s MVP title at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 reaffirmed his role as a co-star alongside donk, but inconsistent showings—such as their Chengdu stumble—still raise questions about the team’s ceiling.

Their next match in Hong Kong against either Vitality or FURIA will be a major test. A deep run at Rivals could rebuild momentum heading into Budapest; another early exit may reignite scrutiny of their recent roster moves.

The MongolZ as a National Symbol

Beyond in-game results, The MongolZ carry national significance. In 2025, the team was officially recognized as Mongolia’s national CS2 team, receiving government support and special travel arrangements to facilitate international competition.

Combined with their deep Major runs and upset victories against top teams like Liquid and Spirit, each tournament appearance is widely viewed as a matter of national pride.

While BLAST Rivals S2 will be seen as a setback, both The MongolZ and Spirit now turn their attention to far greater stakes at the StarLadder Budapest Major — the next and most important chapter in their 2025 campaigns.