The M80 BLAST London journey ends with MOUZ in tense Quarterfinal

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 05/09/2025

After reaching the Playoffs as popular underdogs, the M80 BLAST Open London journey came to an unfortunate end with their loss to MOUZ.

While M80 are forced to say goodbye to their trophy dreams, MOUZ must now face Team Vitality in a tough Semifinal. 

A short but sweet M80 BLAST journey: the “Cat and MOUZ” Quarterfinal 

The M80 BLAST campaign did not end without a fight. The best-of-three ran a full series thanks to M80’s Map 2 Mirage win. 

Despite the backing of a home crowd for M80 coach, Rory ‘dephh’ Jackson, MOUZ were firm favourites on Counter-Strike betting sites. As expected, the cat, M80, was unable to catch the MOUZ and M80 bow out of their BLAST Open Fall campaign.

Map 1 played out on Ancient, a map that MOUZ has recently struggled to navigate successfully. In fact, the roster sought to break their “Ancient curse” in recent games.

A fairly even start with long rounds early in the first half did not last long enough for M80, as MOUZ eventually pulled ahead on CT-side. 

Despite M80’s greater momentum in the second half, they were unable to reach MOUZ’s established lead. 

However, Mirage allowed M80 to showcase a more dominant performance.  

MOUZ struggled significantly on T-side – a challenge that MOUZ IGL, Ludvig ‘Brollan’ Brolin , alluded to in an interview with Esports News UK discussing underdogs, their tournament ahead, and finding entry on maps. 

He acknowledged, “For T-side, we just need to figure out more how to try to make our own space, and for all of the team to speak. Maybe not all the time, but we need the space for others.”

MOUZ was caught out fair and square by M80 during their Mirage T-side, bringing the series to its Inferno decider. 

The third map continued to showcase MOUZ’s CT strength, and M80 could not re-enter the game’s first half. Even after transitioning to M80’s CT, MOUZ fought back against any hope of return. 

MOUZ’s treacherous road ahead

The end of M80’s BLAST journey marks the start of MOUZ’s more challenging road ahead.

Following their Quarterfinal win, MOUZ will now face Team Vitality in the Semifinal. However, if they are successful, they will want to keep the words of BLAST Open Fall casters in mind: “If you can take down Vitality it is looking like this is your tournament for the taking.”

Nevertheless, taking down Team Vitality is no easy task. In his interview with Esports News UK, Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut explained that despite the rosters’ struggles in the past few months compared to their dominant early 2025 performance, the team still retains confidence in their synergy and capability.

Team Vitality certainly does not appear to suffer the negative effects of pressure. In the words of Zywoo, “There’s no pressure about this tournament. I think we are here to try and play our best, and that’s going to be the goal.” 

MOUZ must also once again face the challenge of the home crowd. As with M80’s dephh, Team Vitality have Brit William ‘mezii’ Merriman on their roster. 

Following their M80 win, Ádám ‘torzsi’ Torzsás told Esports News UK, “We have to go into tomorrow confidently playing against Vitality, who have mezii, he’s UK obviously. A lot of fans will cheer for them, but it is what it is.”

Even if MOUZ do manage to defeat the unflappable Team Vitality, there is still a chance they will rematch FURIA in the Grand Final. FURIA beat MOUZ 2-0 during the BLAST Open Group Stage. 

IGL Brollan knows the challenges associated with this possibility, recognising, “FURIA are a good team at the moment. They have proved a lot.” 

If MOUZ can keep momentum, they may have a shot at finally raising the BLAST trophy. For M80, however, their dreams of taking a London title must wait for another day.

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