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GUIDES
Simple Radar
© 2026 TLDR Media, All Rights Reserved.
Sometimes all you need is one man
donk - we mean Team Spirit - is the champion of IEM Cologne 2025. In 18 months, they’ve complete Counter-Strike. Good for them.
IEM Cologne 2025 was incredible. Vitality finally lost, Spirit completed the trilogy, and Liquid embarrassed themselves. Again.
An event that never fails to be one of the best every year, it really is the best way to start a new season, so it’s a shame we now have to follow it up with a BLAST event.
And look, it’s not that we dislike BLAST, because we really don’t. We just really hate online events.
BLAST Bounty might be somewhat saved due to the fact that it has a mildly interesting format, but just look at the opening matches. When it’s put into practice, teams don’t play up to said format because VRS is simply too important. So now we’re forced to watch a week of (likely) terrible Counter-Strike.
Well, maybe we aren’t forced to, but it’s us, we’re addicted.
To make matters worse, when Bounty finally does reach its LAN stage, it will take place in Malta. If you were reading this newsletter during every Pro League season that took place in that country, you’d understand why we look like this every time the thought of returning there crosses our minds.
Oh well, at least BIG won’t be there. There may be a million teams involved, but that’s just how awful they are nowadays.
Oh? They are involved? F-ck.
Two words: Cologne Major.
Cologne Major Cologne Major Cologne Major.
Cologne Major.
IEM Cologne is set to be a Major next year, as you might have guessed from our fervent frothing. Now that is an exciting thought. The most iconic arena in Counter-Strike is hosting its most important tournament in the middle of the year, with the winner unquestionably writing their name into the history books.
Unless… it’s actually lowkey kinda disappointing?
Look, we love the Major. We love Cologne. When we had both, there were more tournaments to really care about. With both Kato and Cologne AND two Majors, there were four trophies that were above the rest.
Next year, there’s just three – and does making Cologne a Major really make it any better?
Well, yeah. Kinda. This promises to be a proper barn burner. A real ‘gotta be there’ tournament. The sort of tournament that makes you finally get to an event. This will be the most hyped event since the Rio Major, but it will almost certainly be better.
We bloody hope so, anyway.
These are the types of events that really solidify a legacy, or start a career. If donk wins it, he’s undisputed. If Vitality win it, they’re probably undeniable. If NiKo wins i- haha, only kidding. The gypsy curse won’t allow that.
2026. Cologne Major. You'd better be there, or you’ll regret it.
It might just be MOUZ’ turn.
They’re going to have to win a big event soon, and IEM Cologne would be the perfect one to win in front of their home fans. Even if they’re not really German any more.
Don’t let reality ruin a great narrative.
They could - and maybe should - have been out in the quarters. FURIA had them by the cojones on map three, but bottled it hardcore. The Brazilians, or sort of Brazilians, were up 11-7 on Inferno but couldn’t find another round as their dream run ended in a nightmare.
That was heartbreaking; but it’s nice to see FURIA look like a real competitor again. FalleN on the big stage. YEKINDAR looking like VP YEKINDAR instead of the corpse that Liquid had. molodoy coming in hot. It was magical.
Magic doesn’t always mesh well with reality, though.
MOUZ were given the tough task of slaying the unslayable dragon, Team Vitality. This is a team who haven’t lost since WW2 or something, who are apparently the best team ever (and they still might be), and who would never lose again.
It might be MOUZ’s turn.
xertioN has had his issues with stage yips, but he was absolutely rampant as MOUZ not only slayed the beast, but cut its head off in two. xertioN and torzsi scythed through an uncharacteristically lethargic Vitality; though that’s more to do with how good MOUZ were.
MOUZ became the Godslayers in the Cathedral - and went straight through to the final.
The MongolZ put up a fight in a classic map in the Cathedral on Ancient, but crumbled to a convincing map two loss to NAVI. We might need to start having a tough conversation about The MongolZ on big stages against big teams.
We really don’t want to.
As has so often been the case in the last year or so, NAVI rose to face Spirit in the semi-final, and that was one step too far. donk blitzed NAVI with a 101 ADR and 58 kills, obviously. The kid is just a freak.
He just actually might be the best player ever. He’s a God.
But now he had to face the Godslayers in the final.
What more is there to say?
Team Spirit have completed Counter-Strike.
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
and now IEM Cologne 2025.
You could say the Grand Final was easy and a washout, but MOUZ had fought hard all year with eight run ins with Team Vitality and the eighth finally being the one to topple the 2025 Kings of Counter-Strike.
With a BO5 ahead of them, MOUZ and Team Spirit had to pace themselves. What? They won in three?
donk knows no slowing down.
Kicking things off on Mirage, the pick of MOUZ, Spirit raced through the first half setting the pace on the CT side and completely denying any action for MOUZ, making it a 10-2 half.
As with most games there’s always a bit of kick back, but all the European side could muster was five rounds against three for a first map advantage for Spirit.
Moving to Ancient, where Spirit, despite it being their home map, have occasionally struggled, the analysts suspected this could be a foot into the series for MOUZ.
Brollan took the bull by the horns, single handedly picking up MOUZ’ first two rounds and reigniting the fire for the rest of the team and making it 8-4 at the half.
Having made it to 11-5, MOUZ looked sure to make this at least a four-map final, but then they had to contend with donk.
And donk said no.
Spirit proceeded to win eight rounds in a row and close out their map pick 13-11 and put themselves within reaching distance of the ever coveted IEM Cologne trophy.
One last chance for MOUZ existed on Nuke. With Spirit having lost it previously to NAVI 13-9, surely this was somewhere MOUZ could strike?
8-4 in favour of Spirit.
Four rounds away from the title. The legacy. Completing Counter-Strike.
Team Spirit ran away with six rounds out of round and newcomer zweih took the final kill, cementing their place in CS history.
Is the second half of 2025 going to see the Team Spirit era?
Final standings:
1st 🇷🇺 Spirit – $400.000 (+60K clubshare)
2nd 🇪🇺 MOUZ – $180.000 (+36K clubshare)
3-4th 🇪🇺 Vitality – $80.000 (+28K clubshare)
3-4th 🇪🇺 NAVI – $80.000 (+28K clubshare)
5-6th 🇧🇷 FURIA – $40.000 (+21K clubshare)
5-6th 🇲🇳 The MongolZ – $40.000 (+21K clubshare)
7-8th 🇪🇺 G2 Esports – $24.000 (+14K clubshare)
7-8th 🇪🇺 FaZe Clan – $24.000 (+14K clubshare)
