BLAST Rivals underdogs rise, unseating and unsettling champions

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 12/11/2025

Day one of BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 saw the tournament’s underdog teams resist the dominance of established Counter-Strike trophy holders. 

While FURIA was able to hold off paiN Gaming, Passion UA defeated Esports World Cup winners The MongolZ and Team Falcons claimed victory over IEM Cologne winners Team Spirit. Even Team Vitality struggled to hold off TYLOO, who are currently 21st in the VRS.

Group A stages BLAST Rivals underdog revolution 

BLAST Rivals Group A opening matches made it clear that the tournament’s underdogs have arrived with determination. 

In the very first Match, The MongolZ found themselves at the mercy of Passion UA, a team currently ranked 27th in the VRS, compared to The MongolZ’s position at 4th. 

Despite winning the first map, Overpass, they were unable to follow through with a win. They lost Inferno 11-13 to the North American team. Passion UA then proceeded to win the decider, Nuke, with the same score. 

This confirmed Passion UA’s place in the BLAST Rivals Playoffs. 

Team Falcons continued the underdog trend, defeating Team Spirit in two maps. Dust II saw Falcons take the win in overtime at 16-13. However, they were able to comfortably defeat the IEM Cologne champions 13-8 on Nuke. 

Team Falcons will play Passion UA in the Group Stage Winners Match, according to the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 format. This will determine who is seeded directly to the Semifinals. 

Meanwhile, The MongolZ and Team Spirit will fight against elimination. BLAST Rivals Playoffs will commence without one of these major teams. 

Group B sees Team Vitality narrowly avoid falling to TYLOO

Meanwhile, Group B was able to maintain some element of the status quo. However, this does not mean that underdog teams did not put up a fight. 

FURIA surprisingly dropped their first map after winning their landmark IEM Chengdu Grand Final. Exceeding expectations, paiN Gaming won 7-13 on Nuke. 

However, FURIA refused to take this map loss lying down. Immediately pushing back on Overpass and Mirage, they won the remaining two maps 13-6 and 13-11. 

The most significant upset in Group B, however, was TYLOO’s match against Team Vitality. Although Team Vitality dominated TYLOO on Overpass with a 2-13 score, they suddenly stumbled on Nuke. 

Typically, Nuke is considered a strong map for Team Vitality. However, in a shock twist, TYLOO dominated the map 13-4. This brought the overall Match score to 1-1, with an Inferno decider. 

Down to the very last second, TYLOO pushed Team Vitality to their absolute limit. 

Levelling round after round across both halves, it wasn’t until a critical misstep from TYOO that Team Vitality were able to pull ahead 13-11. 

Although TYLOO eventually lost the match 1-2, they demonstrated that they can be a force to be reckoned with. 

How does Day 1 of BLAST Rivals alter expectations for the tournament?

The most significant impact of BLAST Rivals Day 1 is the confirmation that the Playoffs will go ahead without either The MongolZ or Team Spirit. 

Both teams have had a rollercoaster year. Team Spirit won IEM Cologne, but their team has suffered tremendously after their post-Cologne transfers. The team has become almost predictable, repeatedly losing crucial matches. 

The MongolZ have enjoyed more consistency than Team Spirit. Nevertheless, they are currently also adjusting to a roster change. 

Meanwhile, Passion UA’s Playoffs qualification is a wild curveball. Passion UA had little expectations attached to their performance, but now have a chance to fly the flag for North American Counter-Strike. 

Even though FURIA and Team Vitality eventually held off paiN Gaming and TYLOO, both were taken by surprise. 

In particular, TYLOO demonstrated immense resolve and skill. Their 13-4 victory over Team Vitality, along with their ability to push Team Vitality down to the wire on the decider, shows that they cannot be ignored. 

BLAST Rivals may have only just started, but the opening matches make one thing explicitly clear: expect the unexpected. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

All Posts By Hannah Marie ZT