Boy, Kazakhstan is very quickly becoming one of our favorite Counter-Strike destinations.

The weekend kicked off with all our favorite players receiving one of the best welcomes we’ve ever seen in CS. It’s quite crazy how Astana, a little city most people couldn’t pin to a map, is able to create a better ambiance than most of the cities the tier one circus usually visit.

At least when the crowds aren’t killing our players.

Speaking of killing, the top story of rounds one and two has to be the new Terminator in town. Those of you who remember IEM Dallas 2024 were maybe wondering where 9z went after such a strong performance, but they were just waiting for the right moment to say the line:

I’ll be back.

PARIVISION didn’t stand a chance against 9z, as luchov put together the best first half in CS2 history on Inferno. No really, we mean it.

That being said, knocking Jame and co. down a peg doesn’t make a you a giant killer, though, so 9z made sure to put all doubt to rest by punching their way into the 2-0 pool by going through Falcons, with a thrashing on the final map. In style, we’ll add, and we can’t wait to see all the FACEIT-warriors try out this one new trick.

Spirit and MOUZ both had statement wins on their way to the 2-0 pool by knocking down The MongolZ and G2, respectively, with close fought victories. xertioN was an unexpected stand-out in his debut as IGL, once again disproving the myth that in-game-leaders frag poorly because they’re “not looking at their crosshair as much” - just admit it, you’re sh-t.

FURIA round out the 2-0 pool, returning to form as the prodigal son returns to his hometown, and the place where he first made his tier one debut. Today they face Spirit for a playoff spot, and folks, this is a game you don’t want to miss.

The remainder of the Swiss bracket is, more or less, par for the course. NA’s favorite underdog (with four European players) has their best chance yet of bagging a win as they face The Huns, while K27 and magic - two Russian teams practically dripping in future tier one stars - will play for elimination, and, let’s face it, bragging rights.

In the 1-1 pool, we’re liking how this is shaping up. With the exception of Gentle Mates and Monte, everyone here has a very realistic shot at a playoff spot - and given the weaknesses 9z have exposed earlier, we wouldn’t even fully count those two out.

Today we have some bangers, folks, and we can’t wait to see who makes it to the arena.