Summary
- CS2 teams The MongolZ vs paiN Gaming clashed in a heated semifinal match this June 21, 2025.
- The best-of-three series ended up only having two games as The MongolZ swept their opponents 2-0 on Mirage and Anubis.
- The MongolZ gets to advance to the Grand Final where they will face Team Vitality, who just defeated MOUZ 2-1.
The Mongolz decimated paiN Gaming 2-0 at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 semifinal on June 21. With this win, they book their ticket to the Grand Final where Team Vitaly waits as their final opponent. Here’s how the series went down between The MongolZ vs paiN Gaming.
The MongolZ vs paiN Gaming Compared
Compared to the nailbiter series between fellow semifinalists Team Vitality and MOUZ, The MongolZ vs paiN Gaming ended in a 2-0 sweep for the former. For many, this wasn’t a surprising victory at all.
The MongolZ’ 2025 run so far includes consistent semifinal placements in tournaments like IEM Katowice and ESL Pro League. They’re considered within the top five CS2 teams globally, and they seemed confident in finally claiming a Major title.
However, considering paiN Gaming’s underdog status, they have gotten far with their “Cinderella Run” and entered the semifinal with the possibility of winning. On their way, they pulled off a massive upset against Virtus.pro and then took down FURIA in the quarterfinals. The Brazilian team was full of potential to send giants home. Nevertheless, The MongolZ proved they were much bigger than that threat.
Series Breakdown
Here’s a recap of how each game played out on Mirage and Anubis:
Map 1: Mirage
The MongolZ picked Mirage as the first map, confident in their 65% win rate on this battlefield. For a moment, however, the threat of paiN Gaming taking them down was real. The Brazilian team scored a 5-2 lead right off the bat with aggressive CT-side holds.
The MongolZ responded with slow-but-sure plays, turning the tide to close the half with a 7-5 lead. Then, paiN’s hopes for an upset were suddenly wiped out. The MongolZ won 13 consecutive rounds to claim Mirage 13-5.
Map 2: Anubis
The MongolZ vs paiN Gaming continued on Anubis, where the latter managed to secure the opening pistol round. This disrupted The MongolZ’ momentum, but only temporarily. After a successful force-buy in round two, The Mongolz quickly built a 5-1 lead from there.
paiN Gaming tried to fight back, but they only managed to close the gap to 9-3 at halftime. Unfortunately, the second half was even more suffocating for the Brazilian team. The MongolZ shut all of their efforts down and won Anubis 13-5. This spelled out a 2-0 victory for the Asian team.
What’s Next For Both Teams?
With this win, The MongolZ became the first Asian team to reach a CS2 Major Grand Final. They’re now also just one step away from lifting their first Major trophy. To claim that achievement, however, they have to face Team Vitality as their final opponents in the competition.
Meanwhile, paiN Gaming exits the tournament with one of the most interesting and inspiring runs of the 2025 Major season. Despite the loss, their journey to the semifinals was something truly special for Brazilian esports.
Conclusion
We now only await the BLAST.tv Austin Major Grand Final to determine who takes the title of the best CS2 team this year. Alongside the glory, the champions also get to receive their share of $500,000 USD from the $1,250,000 USD total prize pool.
The semifinal match between MongolZ vs. paiN Gaming, while one-sided, highlighted the brilliance of both teams. Now, we look forward to the grand final matchup that promises a thrilling finale for this year’s Austin Major.
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