Can anyone tip the scales at the BLAST Austin Major 2025?

That’s the question we want to answer, and we’ve got some picks that might just do the trick.

Firstly, The MongolZ.

If we can set aside the whole ‘playoff chokers’ label - and yeah, that’s a big if - this team has everything it takes to upset the big boys in Austin.

It might sound a bit much, but this is a squad that’s been steadily improving over the past year. In their last three tier-1 tournaments, the only teams they lost to were Vitality, MOUZ, and Aurora. And except for Aurora, those are two of the best teams in the world.

So yeah, we’re confident The MongolZ will make a splash at the Major - the real question is just how big of a splash that will be.

Next up, FaZe up.

Before you start throwing rocks, we get that calling FaZe a dark horse might be a stretch given their rough form lately. They’ll probably still struggle and fight tooth and nail just to make it out of Stage 2.

But hey, it’s FaZe we’re talking about. FaZe with s1mple. That’s every CS fan’s wet dream. People always talk about the ‘FaZe magic’ for a reason. Mix that with s1mple getting some practice, and you’ve got something worth watching.

We’re not saying he’s going to go full 2019-2020 s1mple again, but honestly, can it really be worse than what they’ve shown so far?

Finally, we’re picking NAVI.

No one expected them to get past the quarter-finals at the Copenhagen Major, and yet, they ended up lifting the trophy. So, who’s to say they won’t pull it off again in Austin?

Okay, please drop the rocks again. That might be a bit too optimistic, but we’d be crazy to count out a B1ad3-led team right from the start.

We’d argue NAVI’s floor is solid enough to make the Playoffs. The real question is whether every player can step up and take them that one step further.

So, if we had to bet on a team to defy the odds and make a run, it’d be one of these three.

Because if CS has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.