Four teams passed the test of the initial best-of-one matches undefeated. It was rather expected from some, and one advancement battle in Stage 2 Round 3 is absolutely epic. One team is the underdogs with an almost impossible challenge.
Without technical issues that plagued the opening days and with stronger CS2 teams in the pool, Stage 2 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2024 is a pure competitive joy.
The two first rounds featured all sorts of excitement, like utter destruction and crazy clutches. Surviving that is only one step to the intermediate goal: advancing to Stage 3 and facing all the top guys in CS2 esports.
Four teams were up to take such a step in Round 3. Only two could really do this.
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FaZe versus Ninjas in Pyjamas: Epic Counter-Strike!
Banned maps | Map 1 | Map 2 | Map 3 | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train, FaZe Mirage, NiP Dust II, NiP Overpass, FaZe | Inferno, FaZe pick | Nuke, NiP | Ancient, decider | FaZe 2:0 NiP |
| FaZe 16:12 NiP | FaZe 16:12 NiP | - |
Thanks to the general reputation of FaZe and the initial success of NiP, these teams are the favorites in Stage 2 of the CS2 Budapest Major 2025.
FaZe won this match and advanced to Stage 3. Still it’s hard to tell whether it was FaZe who won or Ninjas in Pyjamas who rather lost here. NiP had a great first half on Inferno. On the CT side, they went for a break with 9 rounds in their pocket. Then, Ninjas suddenly could win almost nothing: they let FaZe force overtime and win four decisive rounds in a row.
On Nuke, the situation vaguely repeated itself. NiP had a brilliant six-round streak on the T side, which is very impressive on this map. When they went to the favorable CT side, FaZe smashed them. Losing the map-point round from a man advantage did not help NiP advance to Stage 3 from this round.
"I think, we played too slow [in Stage 1], we played uninspired CS. [...] The adjustments were real when we came to this stage, taking control more, being explosive. And then, we can slow down, too, as it was on Nuke T side."
Great recovery from FaZe
The experience of Stage 1 could leave a scar on how we perceive FaZe Clan in CS2 esports. They fell to the elimination zone after losing two Bo1 matches, including one to NiP. They managed to advance further back then, but the wins over two smaller Brazilian teams are not reassuring.
The Major's Stage 2 started much better for FaZe, so they are up to advancement from Round 3. We may even suggest their recovery — pretty cautiously though.
In the first match, FaZe defeated Passion UA. The team was back to their creative routes to claim that win. The second victory was over Aurora. These opponents had a tournament win ahead of the Budapest Major, at PGL Masters Bucharest. Defeating these Stage 2 favorites must feel good for FaZe fans.
Ninjas to keep momentum
With young players and such a seasoned competitor as Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer in the roster, Ninjas in Pyjamas progressed tremendously this season. Their performance in Budapest is an impressive fruit of the training effort.
NiP advanced from the initial phase with three wins and a loss. They could defeat NRG in the opening match, but then compensated for that.
To be in the advancement matches of Stage 2 at the Budapest Major this early, Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Astralis in a battle of the legacy esports organizations. The second win was over TYLOO, one of the top teams from Asia.
NAVI versus B8: Favorites to smash underdogs
Banned maps | Map 1 | Map 2 | Map 3 | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overpass, NAVI Nuke, B8 Dust II, B8 Inferno, NAVI | Train, NAVI pick | Mirage, B8 pick | Ancient, decider | NAVI 2:0 B8 |
| NAVI 13:6 B8 | NAVI 13:8 B8 | - |
David faced Goliath in this advancement match of Stage 2 Round 3. The miracle did not happen, though, and a young team could not defeat one of the biggest organizations in Counter-Strike esports.
Natus Vincere won this match, and they advance to Stage 3 without dropping a single map.
Train went really well for NAVI. B8 could take a few rounds, but beyond that, it was hard for them to even show their play.
On Mirage, NAVI dropped some battles on individual levels, like losing direct duels to opponents on full eco. Natus Vincere did not let that snowball into an awkward situation: these players also know how to win with low buys.
The “Stage 3 team in Stage 2” goes to their proper place among the Budapest Major participants.
“I think, the main thing of this stage of the Major is to survive Day 1 and see how your boot camp preparations go through. You need to see what things will work, what will not work. [...] As soon as we went 2:0, we understood we can do 3:0. All teams in this stage, we can beat them.
We know, Stage 3 is much stronger, and we need more preparation, to come up with something new, and also study. [...] The important thing is that we already know those teams [in Stage 3].”
NAVI: fresh from the boot camp, securing victories
The result of NAVI at IEM Chengdu 2025 left us cautious about the team's form ahead of the Major. Natus Vincere started from Stage 2, which is already a downfall for them. The boot-camp time wasn't wasted, though.
The first match of NAVI in Budapest was a blast! They were 12:0 in the first half over FlyQuest, and only taking the pistols saved the opponents from a historic disaster.
The match versus Imperial was much harder. NAVI scrambled in way too many rounds. Still, they solved their mistakes just brilliantly — the individual skills were their ace. The Round 3 advancement opponents feel like a nice pull for NAVI to leave Stage 2 of the StarLadder Budapest Major behind.
A nice breakthrough with tough challenges ahead
The young players of B8 have been making waves in CS2 Majors, and they are doing this even better in Budapest than in Austin. The advancement challenge for them is still tough in the Major's Stage 2 — getting NAVI is an interesting experience.
In Stage 1, B8 lost to M80 in Round 1. They defeated Legacy among other opponents, which is impressive considering the recent win of Legacy at the CS Asia Championships 2025.
To boost themselves to the advancement zone of Stage 2, B8 won over Team Liquid and Fnatic.
Budapest Major Stage 2 features two more rounds, and both are advancement chances for the losers of these matches.
The winners head straight to Stage 3, where the best teams of CS2 esports start their run for the biggest trophy.
