The First match of the StarLadder Budapest Major playoffs was about Team Spirit decisively defeat Team Falcons 2-0. (13-4 Nuke, 16-12 Dust2)
That result is a little bit of a shocker for our bettors, but to CS2 world too based on previous h2h encounters, historical data and a strong Falcons’ of current form.
Match Summary: The Spirits Bird Curse is Broken
Final Score: Spirit won 2-0 (13-4 Nuke, 16-12 Dust2 OT).
Going to the match, Falcons had a dominant 9-0 record against the Spirit, making Spirit's victory an emotional "curse breaker" on the biggest stage. Spirits true hero was the CT anchor zweih, who had maybe his best tier-1 performance ever. He sailed with series-high 1.59 HLTV Rating 3.0. His highlights were two well-timed Aces. First one on Nuke and second map saving on Dust two which boosted their comeback all the way from 5-11 deficit.
In every fairytale there are also the villains and failures. The star trio of NiKo, m0NESY, and kyousuke could not deliver when It mattered the most. The superstar double could not reach even 1.00 rating. And the back up bros did not help fraggingwise at all. There’s a recipe how to crash out of the Major quickly.
Betting thoughts and upcoming Major playoff matches
Team Spirit will advance to the Semi-Finals where they face Vitality.
Betting Angle: High Momentum, Over-Performance Risk.
- Spirit enters the Semi-Finals riding flawless 3-0 group stage momentum and the high of breaking their historical curse against Falcons. The team's collective form, spearheaded by donk (1.67 Major Rating) and backed up by zweih's surge, makes them dangerous. However, could sweih replicate this kind of form against even more structured team.
Betting and the odds for the next match will be interesting to see. Betting on Spirit to continue this level against a more stable, established Major winner like Vitality carries risk.
Tip: Look for favorable map-specific over/under total rounds bets, as their aggressive style can lead to high-round counts on their map picks.’
Team Falcons (Eliminated)
Falcons’ next tournament: StarLadder Major being the final Tier 1 tournament, this ends their year of 2025. Their next event is likely the first big event of 2026, BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2026 in January.
Roster Uncertainty & Offseason Adjustments
- Despite winning PGL Bucharest earlier in 2025, Falcons end the year on a sour note at the Major.
- The elimination fuels speculation about potential roster moves, especially given the heavy investment and the pressure cited by the players. Future performance depends entirely on whether they stick with the current lineup. TeSeS might be one in danger.