The Stage 1 matches treated us to amazing frags and kills. We’ve selected some absolutely fantastic clips to inspire you to follow the tournament and play Counter-Strike.
Stage 1 of the StarLadder Budapest Major delivered four days of electrifying Counter-Strike action. From Karrigan’s game-winning clutch to Saadzin’s outrageous wallbangs, the opening Swiss rounds showcased exactly why CS2 remains one of the most unpredictable competitions. Here are the best plays from StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 1.
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The Huns barely see xIELO’s impressive ace coming
The Huns were always expected to be a rather easy opponent for the PARIVISION side. But for a rookie to come into his first big event and drop a monumental 1.91 rating is still impressive. And one of the standout moments came in the second half. A standard A-execute was made highly potent thanks to xIELO’s ACE, comprising largely of instantaneous headshots. Looking at it from The Huns’ POV, they really had no chance to stop the xIELO train.
Starry cracks four heads with his Deagle
Lynn Vision didn’t get to put their best foot forward at the StarLadder Budapest Major, with their opening match pitting them against FaZe Clan. frozen and Twistzz were both on absolute heaters, but that didn’t stop Lynn Vision’s Starry from stealing the highlight of the match. This quartet of Deagle headshots reminded FaZe just how potent Asian CS can be.
saadzin’s magical wall bangs
This duo of clips comes courtesy of saadzin’s apparently magical AWP. The sniper put in not one but two quad-kills with the big green, with wallbang shots turning the tide of the round. The Train one in particular, utterly befuddled the FlyQuest side.
“Freddy Johansson keeps the game going” — KRIMZ’s ace for overtime
A two-man advantage while at match point should have spelled a victory for RED Canids against fnatic. But Mr.fnatic himself decided against that result. With his classic AK-47 Redline, KRIMZ took five crucial kills to secure overtime, and he gave us this clip for the best Stage 1 moments at the Budapest Major 2025.
Jame remains the master of the clock
Jame’s experiments with the fourth dimension are well-documented. And, once again, the IGL showed exactly why nobody can match his time management skills. When GamerLegion tried to sneak a bomb plant in the last second on Ancient, Jame was there to kill the planter and escape with his life to earn PARIVISION an unlikely round.
But he can also turn the heat up
While time-shenanigans remain Jame’s bread and butter, don’t forget that he is still a Major MVP-winning AWPer. So when the situation calls for it, like this A-site defense against B8, he can pull out a quick quad-kill at a moments notice.
Jambo clutches it out with a triple
NRG was a trap card for many teams across Stage 1, despite playing with a stand-in. Their match against Fnatic was no different. Right out of the gates, the NA side stunned fear’s troops on Mirage. When the game moved to Inferno, it looked like things might still go NRG's way. By round 18, the score was tied up and NRG looked in control of the map. That was until Jambo turned the tide with this quick 1v3 clutch, one of the best moments from the Budapest Major Stage 1.
hypex clutches out map point
A lot has been said about GamerLegion’s struggles with the AWP role, first with sl3nd, and then with kursy. hypex is the latest cab off the rank for GL, and so far, he too has struggled to truly make the mark. But up against elimination, hypex gave GamerLegion hope for survival thanks to this quick-fire AWP triple.
Karrigan pushes FaZe over the line: Best moments of the Major's Stage 1
FaZe made it through to stage two by the skin of their teeth. After going 1-2 in the best-of-ones and an arduous win over RED Canids, the team took on Fluxo for qualification. FaZe did not make easy work of the game, allowing Fluxo to push them to a third map, and playing it close the whole way. Luckily, the captain himself pushed the team across the line with a brilliant quad-kill to close out the map.
After five days of action-packed matches, we’re heading into Stage 2 for a whole new round of action. Who’ll make their mark at the Major next?
