Falcons officially part ways with Maden and dupreeh

<h2>The players spent a long time on the bench, waiting for a decision</h2><p>Although the players had been benched since November 2024 and were awaiting a transfer, no final decision was made, and they have now received free agent status. While&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/maden" target="_self">Maden</a>, being a relatively young and promising player, can still hope to get an offer from a new team, the chances are significantly lower for&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/dupreeh" target="_self">dupreeh</a>&nbsp;— a five-time Major winner — as he is already 32 years old.</p>

Team Spirit – PGL Astana 2025 Champions

<h2>Team Spirit secured a confident victory in the PGL Astana 2025 final with a 3-1 score.</h2><p>The top-ranked team of 2024, Spirit, began their comeback in 2025 by claiming a major trophy in Astana.</p><p>In the grand final, the favorite was clear, but Astralis, after the&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/several-roster-changes-that-took-place-on-april-22-2025" target="_self">arrival of HooXi</a>, had already impressed by defeating Virtus.pro, NaVi, and Aurora at this tournament. However, despite their motivation and positive energy, they were not fully prepared to face their opponents —&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/donk" target="_self">donk</a>&nbsp;and Miroslav Plahotnyi, known as&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/zont1x" target="_self">zont1x</a>, who delivered a phenomenal performance.</p><p>In the third-place match, FURIA faced AURORA. After trading map picks, it all came down to the deciding&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">map Dust2</a>, where the Turkish squad came out on top. Despite strong support from Kazakh player&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/molodoy" target="_self">molodoy</a>&nbsp;playing in his home country, he couldn’t carry his team and they finished fourth in the tournament.</p><p>This tournament has concluded, but fans won’t have to wait long — IEM Dallas 2025 kicks off on May 19, bringing more top-tier teams into the spotlight.</p>

Quarterfinal Results at PGL Astana 2025

<h2>The quarterfinals of PGL Major Astana 2025 wrapped up, revealing the semifinal contenders. Surprises, comebacks, and confident victories were all part of the action on May 16.</h2><h3>Aurora 2:0 The MongolZ</h3><p>Aurora broke their five-match playoff curse with a 2:0 win over The MongolZ. On&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">Mirage</a>, they dominated 13:5, and held on for a tight 16:14 victory on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-anubis" target="_self">Anubis</a>.</p><h3>Astralis 2:1 Natus Vincere</h3><p>Astralis continued their unexpected run, beating NAVI 2:1. After winning&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a>&nbsp;(16:13) and dropping Mirage (8:13), they closed it out confidently on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient" target="_self">Ancient</a>&nbsp;(13:6).</p><h3>FURIA 2:0 MIBR</h3><p>FURIA kept their momentum going with a 2:0 win over MIBR. They won Nuke 16:13 and crushed&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">Train</a>&nbsp;13:2. Newcomer Danil "<a href="/en/players/molodoy" target="_self">molodoy</a>" Golubenko stood out as the MVP.</p><h3>Spirit 2:0 Ninjas in Pyjamas</h3><p><br>Tournament favorites Spirit defeated NIP 2:0. They took Train 13:8 and mounted a comeback on&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">Dust2</a>, winning 13:11 after trailing 3:10. Once again, donk delivered an impressive performance.</p><h2>Semifinal Matchups:</h2><ul><li>Aurora vs Astralis</li><li>FURIA vs Spirit</li></ul><p>Stay tuned for updates and results on&nbsp;<a href="/en" target="_self">CSSPot</a>, and while waiting for the next matches, enjoy&nbsp;<a href="/en/cases" target="_self">CS2 case openings</a>&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="/en/rating" target="_self">top CS2 case sites</a>.</p>

Group Stage Results at PGL Astana 2025

<h2>The final day of the group stage at PGL Astana 2025 has concluded, and the playoff matchups are now set.</h2><p>The group stage lasted 5 days and delivered many unexpected outcomes and incredible comebacks.</p><h3>Teams advancing to the next stage:</h3><p>Spirit and The MongolZ finished with a 3-0 score — as expected — dominating their opponents with ease.</p><p>NaVi, FURIA, and Astralis advanced with a 3-1 score. While NaVi and FURIA were expected to make the playoffs, Astralis surprised many after the&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/several-roster-changes-that-took-place-on-april-22-2025" target="_self">arrival of HooXi</a>, managing to secure a few unexpected wins.</p><p>Aurora, NiP, and MIBR were the final teams to reach playoffs with a 3-2 record, claiming the last spots in the elimination stage.</p><h3>Teams eliminated from the tournament:</h3><p>GamerLegion and M80 were the first to be eliminated with a 0-3 score. Despite not being the strongest squads, their early exit still surprised many fans.</p><p>Next, paiN, HOTU, and BIG exited the tournament with a 1-3 score, losing their matches on the penultimate day of the group stage.</p><p>The last to leave were ODDIK, G2, and Virtus.pro. While ODDIK and G2 lost 0-2 and gave their opponents an easy path, the final MIBR vs Virtus.pro match was an absolute CS2 spectacle! MIBR first won their opponent’s pick,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">Mirage</a>, 13-11, then collapsed on one of their best maps,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-anubis" target="_self">Anubis</a>. The decider,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient" target="_self">Ancient</a>, turned into a real rollercoaster and remained unpredictable until the final round — but the Brazilian squad prevailed, once again with a 13-11 score.</p><h3>Playoff Matchups:</h3><ul><li>The MongolZ will face Aurora, where&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/xantares" target="_self">XANTARES</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/wicadia" target="_self">Wicadia</a>&nbsp;will try to carry the team again — but will their effort be enough against a Mongolian lineup hungry for trophies?</li><li>Natus Vincere will go up against Astralis. While Astralis have shown determination, victory seems unlikely — but this is exactly why people love CS2, where upsets often become reality.</li><li>FURIA and MIBR will clash in a Brazilian derby. Will&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/fallen" target="_self">FalleN</a>’s experience help his team secure a semifinal spot, or will their young opponents prove too strong?</li><li>The final quarter-final will be Spirit vs NiP, and we can be 99% sure that the young&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/donk" target="_self">donk</a>&nbsp;— whose&nbsp;<a href="/en/configs" target="_self">CS2 CFG</a>&nbsp;is gaining popularity among fans — will once again showcase phenomenal skill and leave no chance to his opponents.</li></ul>

New Eternal Fire Roster

<h2>The Turkish esports organization Eternal Fire has officially unveiled its updated Counter-Strike 2 roster, now entirely made up of Turkish players.</h2><p>Experienced players Buğra "<a href="/en/players/calyx" target="_self">Calyx</a>" Arkın and Ömer "<a href="/en/players/imorr" target="_self">imoRR</a>" Karataş have returned to the team. They previously played for Eternal Fire and share 359 maps together, including participation in the PGL Antwerp Major.</p><p>They are joined by young talents from the PCIFIC team: Emrecan "<a href="/en/players/emstar" target="_self">EMSTAR</a>" Çalışkan, Baha "<a href="/en/players/lugsen" target="_self">lugseN</a>" Emir Şengül, and Berat "<a href="/en/players/jresy" target="_self">jresy</a>" Özcan. However, roles will be reassigned in the new lineup: imoRR will take over as both AWPer and in-game leader, replacing lugseN and EMSTAR in those roles.</p><p>The team will be coached by Kadir "ElPrincipe" Sivri, who had previously worked with EMSTAR in the Eternal Fire Academy. The organization stated that it remains committed to developing Turkish esports not only through its main team, but also through its Academy and Young Team projects, aiming to successfully represent Turkey on the international stage.</p><p>The previous Eternal Fire roster, which reached the finals of two major tournaments and held sixth place in the global ranking, was&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/new-eternal-fire-roster" target="_self">sold to Aurora</a>&nbsp;due to a lack of sponsorship support in Turkey. The new team now faces the challenge of living up to expectations and continuing their predecessors' success.</p>

Results of the first two match days at PGL Astana 2025

<h2>The first days of the tournament did not bring major surprises but delivered intense battles.</h2><p>To follow the PGL Astana 2025 tournament, you need to be a bit familiar with its format and participants:</p><p>Which teams are participating in the tournament — NaVi, M80, The MongolZ, FURIA, Spirit, GamerLegion, Astralis, ODDIK, paiN, HOTU, Aurora, BIG, Virtus.pro, Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2, and MIBR.</p><p>The tournament is held in the&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/swiss-system–cs2-tournament-format" target="_self">Swiss system format for CS2 matches</a>&nbsp;— all matches are BO3, except for the final, which will be BO5.</p><h2>Brief results of the first match day</h2><ul><li>Astralis vs ODDIK – Despite the Brazilian team's efforts and a win on their opponent's map pick, Astralis won 2-1</li><li>Aurora vs BIG – After&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/complete-roster-overhaul-for-aurora-gaming" target="_self">Eternal Fire's roster transitioned under the Aurora tag</a>, they were expected to perform confidently and BIG didn’t seem like a tough opponent. However, BIG, led by&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/tabsen" target="_self">tabseN</a>, surprised everyone and secured a 2-1 victory</li><li>G2 vs MIBR – G2 became significantly weaker after&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/niko" target="_self">NiKo</a>&nbsp;joined Falcons and&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/m0nesy-transfer-to-falcons-becomes-the-most-expensive-in-cs-history" target="_self">m0NESY transferred to Falcons</a>. Additionally, before this tournament, a new issue arose —&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/hunter" target="_self">huNter-</a>&nbsp;missed the group stage, and coach TaZ had to play instead. As a result, the team lost their opening match 1-2</li><li>The MongolZ vs FURIA – The result here was quite predictable: the Mongolian squad confidently won, although they did drop one map</li><li>One of the most anticipated matches was NaVi vs M80, since the form of NaVi was still unpredictable, and M80 are regional leaders. However, despite the tough fight, the match ended 2-0 in favor of the “Born to Win”</li><li>Virtus.pro lost to NiP in a close match 1-2</li><li>Spirit confidently defeated GamerLegion 2-0</li><li>The final match of the day was paiN vs HOTU, and despite all the issues and efforts from the CIS squad, the Brazilians won 2-0</li></ul><h2>Second match day results</h2><ul><li>The MongolZ continued their confident run in the tournament and defeated MIBR 2-0</li><li>Virtus.pro managed to beat M80 2-1 in a close contest</li><li>Astralis secured a 2-0 win over another Brazilian team, paiN</li><li>Natus Vincere continued to live up to their status as favorites and defeated BIG 2-0</li><li>GamerLegion lost to FURIA 0-2 and were sent to the elimination bracket</li><li>Spirit, as expected, faced no resistance from NiP and beat them 2-0</li><li>Aurora won a very tight series against HOTU, finishing 2-1</li><li>The last match of the day was G2 vs ODDIK, which went all three maps. On the decider&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a>, thanks largely to the efforts of&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/pancc" target="_self">pancc</a>, who clutched a 1v2 in the final round, the Brazilians came out on top and won 2-1, sending G2 into elimination matches</li></ul>

Complexity updated their roster ahead of the BLAST.tv Austin Major

<h2>Complexity announces two key changes to their roster</h2><p>The organization has appointed Eric “adreN” Hoag as the new coach, and former Nouns AWPer Paytyn “<a href="/en/players/junior" target="_self">junior</a>” Johnson will strengthen the team until the end of the Major. It is expected that junior will replace Håkon “<a href="/en/players/hallzerk" target="_self">hallzerk</a>” Fjærli at the tournament, as the Norwegian continues to face issues obtaining a U.S. visa.</p><p>hallzerk already missed IEM Dallas 2023 for the same reason and frequently cannot participate in events held in the United States. Complexity is attempting to resolve this by applying for a P1 visa, which is designated for professional athletes.</p><p>The absence of hallzerk is a serious blow for Complexity, especially after the recent loss of Jonathan “<a href="/en/players/elige" target="_self">EliGE</a>” Jablonowski. However, the team is already showing promising results: 4th place at PGL Bucharest with wins over Falcons, FaZe, Aurora, and FURIA, as well as a 9–12th place finish at IEM Melbourne.</p>

Roster changes in FaZe Clan as of May 5, 2025

<h2>FaZe Clan has officially announced major changes to its Counter-Strike 2 roster.</h2><p>On May 5, 2025, the organization confirmed that Oleksandr “<a href="/en/players/s1mple" target="_self">s1mple</a>” Kostyliev has joined the team on loan from Natus Vincere. He will temporarily replace Helvijs “<a href="/en/players/broky" target="_self">broky</a>” Saukants, who has been benched after nearly six years in the main lineup.</p><p>Håvard “<a href="/en/players/rain" target="_self">rain</a>” Nygaard’s participation in the upcoming IEM Dallas 2025 remains uncertain due to personal reasons. As a result, FaZe has brought in Brazilian player Felipe “<a href="/en/players/skullz" target="_self">skullz</a>” Medeiros, who will compete as a temporary substitute for the team in this tournament.</p><p>FaZe Clan's lineup for IEM Dallas 2025 will be as follows:</p><ul><li>Finn “<a href="/en/players/karrigan" target="_self">karrigan</a>” Andersen</li><li>Jonathan “<a href="/en/players/elige" target="_self">EliGE</a>” Jablonowski</li><li>David “<a href="/en/players/frozen" target="_self">frozen</a>” Čerňanský</li><li>Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (on loan)</li><li>Felipe “skullz” Medeiros (stand-in)</li><li>Filip “NEO” Kubski (coach)</li></ul><p>FaZe aims to stay competitive despite the roster shuffle and is counting on the experience of the newcomers to fight for the trophy in Dallas.</p>

Vitality are the champions of BLAST Rivals Season 1

<h2>There was an almost 100% repeat of the IEM Melbourne 2025 final.</h2><p>The last time these teams met was exactly a week ago in the&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/vitality-iem-melbourne-2025-champions" target="_self"><strong>IEM Melbourne 2025 final</strong></a>, where Vitality showed strong determination on the final&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self"><strong>map Nuke</strong></a>, managing to close it out in overtime and continue their winning streak.</p><p>The BLAST Rivals Season 1 final was played in a BO5 format, and the map pool was identical to the previous match —&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self"><strong>Inferno</strong></a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self"><strong>Dust2</strong></a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self"><strong>Train</strong></a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self"><strong>Mirage</strong></a>, and <strong>Nuke</strong>. The key difference was that this time, the teams prepared better for their opponents' map picks and managed to take each other’s initial choices. However, the top fraggers remained the same —&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self"><strong>m0NESY</strong></a>,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self"><strong>ZywOo</strong></a>, and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/ropz" target="_self"><strong>ropz</strong></a>, and once again Mathieu claimed the MVP title and brought another trophy to the team. Who can stop Vitality on their record-breaking run?</p>

Vitality - IEM Melbourne 2025 Champions

<h2>In the final, Falcons and Vitality faced each other, and after a tough battle across 5 maps, Vitality emerged stronger.</h2><p>This matchup was highly anticipated for several reasons:</p><ol><li>Right after&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/m0nesy-transfer-to-falcons-becomes-the-most-expensive-in-cs-history" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/blog/m0nesy-transfer-to-falcons-becomes-the-most-expensive-in-cs-history" target="_self"><a href="/en/blog/m0nesy-transfer-to-falcons-becomes-the-most-expensive-in-cs-history" target="_self">m0NESY's transfer to Falcons</a></a>, they reached the final and had a chance to win the trophy.</li><li>Vitality were on a long 20-match win streak and hadn't lost for over three months.</li><li>IEM announced a $100,000 reward for the team that could defeat Vitality.</li></ol><h4>More about the maps:</h4><ol><li>Vitality's first pick —&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">Inferno</a></a>&nbsp;— ended very quickly, with the "bees" crushing with a score of 13-2. The best player on the map was&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self">ZywOo</a></a>.</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">map Dust2</a></a>&nbsp;was Falcons' first pick, and a tough battle took place there. It went into overtime, but in overtime Falcons gave no chances to their opponents and finished 16-12, despite the efforts of&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/ropz" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/ropz" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/ropz" target="_self">ropz</a></a>.</li><li>The next pick from Vitality was&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">Train</a></a>, where there were many turnarounds. The turning point was a round won by Vitality with pistols against a full-buy from the opponents, thanks to smart tactics from captain&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/apex" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/apex" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/apex" target="_self">apEX</a></a>. The map ended with a 13-9 score.</li><li>The fourth&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">map Mirage</a></a>&nbsp;was dictated by&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/niko" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/niko" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/niko" target="_self">NiKo</a></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self">m0NESY</a></a>, who showed excellent play, first on offense and then on defense. As a result, the map ended with a 13-10 score and the teams moved to the decider.</li><li>The final and deciding map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a></a>, delighted the audience for a long time as the teams were well-prepared for each other and fought hard for the trophy. The map ended with a 22-20 score in favor of Vitality, making them the trophy winners.</li></ol><p>The MVP of the tournament was recognized as Mathieu "ZywOo", whose&nbsp;<a href="/en/configs" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/configs" target="_self"><a href="/en/configs" target="_self">CS2 config</a></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/crosshairs" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/crosshairs" target="_self"><a href="/en/crosshairs" target="_self">CS2 crosshair</a></a>&nbsp;settings are very popular among fans. Vitality demonstrated a high level of preparation and focus on the opponent, which led them to the trophy at IEM Melbourne 2025.</p><p>It’s also worth noting that one of the spectators in the arena managed to unbox a&nbsp;<a href="/en/knives" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/knives" target="_self"><a href="/en/knives" target="_self">CS2 knife</a></a>&nbsp;during the match. At tournaments, it’s been a tradition for some spectators to open&nbsp;<a href="/en/cases" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/cases" target="_self"><a href="/en/cases" target="_self">CS2 cases</a></a>&nbsp;right in the hall, but as usual, they mostly get low-tier items. Maybe if they did it on the&nbsp;<a href="/en/rating" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/rating" target="_self"><a href="/en/rating" target="_self">best CS2 case opening sites</a></a>, the results would be much better.</p>