Thorin Criticizes BO1 Chaos After Opening Round of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Veteran CS analyst Duncan “Thorin” Shields has reignited the debate around best-of-one (BO1) matches after a turbulent opening round of Stage 2 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. Posting on X, Thorin questioned whether it’s “a coincidence” that the first BO1 round — the one teams prepare for the most — consistently delivers the biggest upsets.
Upsets Mark Stage 2 Round 1
The Budapest Major’s second stage opened on 29 November with several unexpected results. Teams moving to 1-0 included FaZe, NAVI, B8, NIP, Aurora, TYLOO, Fnatic and Imperial, while major orgs like Astralis, Liquid, M80 and MIBR fell into the 0-1 pool.
Key surprises:
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B8 upset Team Liquid 13–7 on Mirage, with a dominant CT side.
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Aurora beat M80 13–6 on Dust2, boosted by a 2.12 rating from Wicadia.
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Imperial overpowered MIBR 13–5 on Nuke, highlighted by try’s AWP ace on map point.
These matches immediately fueled criticism of the BO1 Swiss format under CS2’s MR12 economy, where a few key rounds can decide the entire game.
Format Under Fire
The Budapest Major 2025 features 32 teams and three Swiss stages using mostly BO1 matches, with BO3s reserved for elimination and advancement. While many praised Valve’s addition of a BO5 grand final, analysts argue that too much variance in early BO1s can derail the tournament narrative before playoffs even start.
Thorin said earlier this season that the opening days of each Swiss stage offer “the most random results of the year,” echoing concerns shared by top players:
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Spinx previously said BO1s feel “a bit random” and that teams prefer BO3s.
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electroNic has also supported BO3 deciders, calling them fairer at Major level.
What’s Next
Stage 2 continues with more BO1s in Round 3, putting pressure on teams like Liquid, Astralis and M80, who are one upset away from danger. Meanwhile, underdogs B8, TYLOO and Imperial now have a real shot at reaching Stage 3.
Whether Budapest pushes Valve to finally reduce BO1 usage — or simply adds more fuel to the debate — remains to be seen.
