The MongolZ pulled off a stunning comeback from 0-11 to defeat Aurora Gaming in BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals.
The opening match of the finals between a formerly resurgent Astralis and MOUZ felt like a letdown, with the Danish squad failing to deliver in an uneventful affair.
However, the second Quarterfinals match, between Turkish powerhouse Aurora Gaming and the shining star of the Asia region, The MongolZ, kept us on the edge of our seats. Here’s what went down on the server.
The MongolZ staged an incredible comeback. Image Credit: BLAST.tv
The MongolZ beats Aurora, bLitz rubs salt in the wound
At first glance, a 2-0 scoreline in favor of the higher-ranked team is a boring, expected outcome.
In the case of The MongolZ vs. Aurora Gaming, the 2-0 scoreline is as misleading as they come.
Aurora’s map pick of Dust2 was exceptionally close. After The MongolZ got off to a flying 8-4 start in the first half on the CT side, Aurora put in a strong performance, nearly forcing overtime.
By the skin of their teeth with a critical force-buy win in the 22nd round, The MongolZ edged through to win the map 13-11.
Dust2 pales in comparison to the clash on Mirage, The MongolZ’s map pick. Starting on the CT side, Aurora looked unstoppable, crushing their opponents for what seemed like an insurmountable 11-1 lead.
The MongolZ only managed to win the 12th and final round of the half, thanks to four kills from IGL Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren, overcoming a 3v1 situation to get his side on the board.
As teams switched sides, and most onlookers prepared for a third map to decide the match, The MongolZ took charge, winning four in a row. Aurora put itself on map point (12-5) after Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın pulled off a triple kill in the 17th round.
Instead of finishing off Mirage with one more T side win, Aurora crumbled. The MongolZ won seven rounds in a row to force overtime (12-12), which included a knife kill from bLitz on Wicadia in the 23rd round, rubbing salt into the wound.
In overtime, The MongolZ continued their dominating ways with a 4-1 score, thereby winning Mirage 16-13, and the series 2-0.
MOUZ silences Astralis with a clean sweep
I was wrong, or rather, the sentiment that Astralis could lift a big trophy against S-Tier competition was a bit premature.
While Astralis, with Danish IGL Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, did well to get to the Quarterfinals, beating Rare Atom and NAVI in the Round of 32 and Round of 16, respectively, they couldn’t put a dent in the brick wall that is MOUZ.
MOUZ puts Astralis to rest. Image Credit: BLAST.tv
Astralis’ map pick of Nuke got off to a decent start, with MOUZ in a slight 7-5 lead on the CT side. On Nuke, five rounds on the T side are oftentimes enough for a squad to secure victory in the second half. However, Astralis crumbled, with MOUZ finishing off the map 13-8.
On MOUZ’s map pick, Mirage, the sides were neck-and-neck early on, with a 3-3 scoreline. That didn’t sit well with Hungarian star Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás, as he scored four kills in the 7th round with the AWP in a 2v4 situation, denying Astralis the round.
On the back of torzsi’s beautiful play, MOUZ finished the first half of Mirage with an 8-4 score, and put Astralis to rest with five rounds in a row in the second half for a 13-4 win on the map, and thereby, a 2-0 clean sweep.
The BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals continue in Malta until Sunday, August 17, when a champion will be crowned.