ESL Pro League Stage 2 Opens With Chaos — A Story of Upsets, Dominance, and Rising Stars
Stage 2 of ESL Pro League Season 23 kicked off with a mix of dominant performances and early surprises, immediately reshaping the Swiss bracket. While several matches delivered unexpected results, many of the tournament’s favorites opened their campaigns with convincing wins.
In this recap, we focus on the expected results and dominant performances from the top teams, while the major upsets from the opening round will be covered in a separate article.
🟩 FAVORITE WINS
These matches went largely as expected based on rankings, form, and pre-match CS2 odds.
Spirit vs 3DMAX — Business as Usual
Team Spirit entered their opening match against 3DMAX as heavy favorites and delivered a controlled 2–0 victory.
Spirit dictated the pace on Nuke from the start and followed it up with a composed performance on Overpass. While 3DMAX found occasional openings, Spirit’s structure and firepower proved too much across the series.
Key individuals
donk — explosive entry fragging and a performance close to a 2.00 HLTV rating
magixx — consistent mid-round impact and confident calling
Snobling (3DMAX) — showed resilience despite the difficult matchup
MongolZ vs paiN — Brazilian Momentum Meets a Mongolian Wall
The MongolZ continued their strong run with a 2–0 win over paiN Gaming.
The opening map went into double overtime, but MongolZ maintained control of key rounds thanks to strong opening duels, finishing with a 23–13 first-kill advantage. Their coordination and tempo ultimately secured the series.
Key individuals
Mzinho — high-impact entries throughout the match
Cobrazera — delivered a solid individual performance for paiN
Snow — struggled to keep pace with the server and finished with the only rating below 1.00
MOUZ dropping Dust2 to Heroic in 2-1 win
MOUZ and Heroic produced one of the most competitive series of the opening round.
Heroic struck first on Dust2 with strong early-round calling and confident mid-round pacing. MOUZ responded on Mirage, where jimpphat and Spinx controlled the tempo with decisive multi-kills.
The decider on Inferno turned into a dominant showing from MOUZ, who closed the map 13–3 with suffocating CT setups and strong trading.
Key points
jimpphat and Spinx led the server for MOUZ
Heroic impressed on Dust2 but collapsed on Inferno
MOUZ showed strong adaptation after losing the opening map
Aurora vs Legacy — Turkish CS2 beats the Brazilian CS2
Aurora Gaming edged out Legacy in a tightly contested 2–1 series.
Inferno became one of the longest maps of the round, ending 25–21 after multiple overtime periods. Legacy responded on Overpass before Aurora secured the series on Dust2 with a decisive late-round run.
Key points
Inferno (25–21 Aurora): dumau posted strong numbers but Aurora closed the crucial rounds
Overpass (13–9 Legacy): disciplined CT setups gave Legacy their best map
Dust2 (16–13 Aurora): Aurora pulled ahead late to seal the series
Top performers
Aurora: XANTARES (1.18 rating), Wicadia (1.16 rating)
Legacy: dumau (95 ADR, +14 K-D)
NaVi vs Monte — Short Story Recap
Natus Vincere started slowly against Monte, dropping Dust2 after struggling to contain Monte’s aggressive T-side.
The momentum shifted immediately on Inferno, where NaVi produced a dominant 13–1 CT performance. Mirage remained close until makazze and w0nderful delivered key late-round plays to secure the 2–1 victory.
Key points
Inferno (13–1 NaVi): near-perfect CT side from NaVi
Mirage (13–11 NaVi): tight decider decided in late rounds
Top performer
makazze — 1.71 rating and 111 ADR across the series
G2 Crush FaZe
G2 Esports opened Stage 2 with a convincing 2–0 victory over FaZe Clan.
G2 dominated the opening map before closing a more competitive second map through stronger mid-round decision-making and several key clutch rounds.
malbsMd and SunPayus led the scoreboard and consistently delivered impact when the rounds were on the line.
Key points
dominant opening map for G2
FaZe pushed back on the second map but fell short
G2’s mid-round calls and utility usage created a clear tactical edge
Upsets Coming Next
While many favorites secured early wins in ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2, the opening round also featured several major upsets that reshaped the Swiss bracket.
In our next article, we break down the biggest surprises of the day, including unexpected victories that could dramatically impact the playoff race.
Also follow our next CS2 betting picks and livestreams here.