As BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 enters the second day of competition, Danish powerhouse HEROIC, Ukrainian representative B8, North American rising star FlyQuest and Wildcard are the first to break through the group with a 2-0 record. Traditional powerhouses such as OG, NRG and BetBoom face greater pressure and need to catch up after losing in the first round.
This situation represents two new trends in the current CS2 competition:
The recovery of North American teams: FlyQuest and Wildcard’s outstanding performances indicate that the region is re-entering the core of the international stage.
Eastern European teams continue to output: B8 shows the deep foundation of the Ukrainian CS community, and the team’s discipline and map understanding ability are stable in online competitions.
HEROIC: An efficient machine after transformation
In the game against NRG, Heroic showed the maturity of tactical execution, especially sweeping the opponent 13-5 on Overpass. The data shows:
The player with the highest average damage per round (ADR) is Xizt, as high as 112.
The team’s flash assists reached 14 times, reflecting the fluency of their offensive coordination.
In CS2, the accelerated defensive rhythm makes the explosive bomb tactics and area control particularly critical. HEROIC’s strong offensive strategy against the default defense of the CT side is gradually becoming a template.
B8: Suppress OG with tactical discipline
B8’s game against OG was a defensive master class. In this game, B8 emphasized the overall advancement rhythm and disrupted OG’s layout by rotating points. On the Inferno map:
B8’s average map control time was more than 45 seconds, which was significantly higher than the average level of the event.
Snax had 3 multi-kill rounds, the most in this game.
It is worth mentioning that B8 chose a double sniper layout when they were at a disadvantage in economy. Although the risk was relatively high, they won the key rounds with precise positioning and replacement, reflecting their full tactical preparation.
FlyQuest: The new generation of North America successfully broke through
FlyQuest’s victory over BetBoom can be regarded as a model of “system winning”. They relied on the stable “split push and pinch” play to significantly weaken the opponent’s economy on the Ancient map:
In all offensive rounds, the proportion of successfully entering the bomb zone and completing the placement was as high as 76%.
AWPer nitr0’s hit rate reached 82%, and he completed the first kill many times in key rounds.
FlyQuest’s lineup is young but explosive, and their control of map resources and rotation efficiency are impressive.
Wildcard: Overtime battle proves stress resistance
Wildcard fought hard against Lynn Vision until overtime and won 19-17, but this game also verified their on-the-spot response and endurance:
Zellsis won 8 kills in the overtime stage and became the winner.
Wildcard completed three comebacks when they were behind, and their psychological quality is remarkable.
For Wildcard, how to maintain rhythm and mentality after a big lead will become a key issue in the second stage.
The current situation of the four 2-0 teams is as follows:
| Team | Record | Matches to Qualify | Next Opponent |
| HEROIC | 2-0 | 1 | FlyQuest |
| B8 | 2-0 | 1 | Wildcard |
| FlyQuest | 2-0 | 1 | HEROIC |
| Wildcard | 2-0 | 1 | B8 |
In the next round, both matchups feature undefeated teams—meaning the winners will qualify directly for Stage 2, while the losers will move to the 2-1 pool.
The next round will usher in two direct confrontations between 2-0 teams-this means that the two teams will directly advance to the second stage, and the loser will enter the 2-1 group for a make-up match.
Analysis of the rhythm of the event and map selection trends
Combined with the data at this stage, the following trends are worth noting:
Ancient and Overpass usage rate surge: The frequency of these two maps in map selection has increased significantly, and Teams tend to choose scenes with more space control and point cutting potential.
CT’s win rate at the start has declined: Affected by the rhythm of CS2 games, CT must be more active in fighting for map control, and the team’s default defense effect has declined.
The economic system pays more attention to rhythm changes: Most teams choose to “strengthen + heavy armor” in the third round instead of saving money. This trend is particularly evident in North American teams.
Conclusion
HEROIC, B8, FlyQuest and Wildcard performed well in the first stage of the Austin Major. Not only did they win key games, but they also showed stability and potential in tactical maturity, individual player ability and team response. As the competition continues to deepen, whether they can maintain their state and successfully resist pressure will determine how far they can go in the next challenge.
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