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GUIDES
Simple Radar
© 2026 TLDR Media, All Rights Reserved.
There’s a new best team of all time
They may have gone a map down, but Vitality are simply inevitable. Also, can somebody PLEASE let launders pee?
Throughout the years of TLDR, we’ve been to many great cities for events: Antwerp, Stockholm, Cologne, Katowice, London, even Paris – which is a horrible place, but still warrants a mention – but none of those come close to Budapest.
The drive over from the airport makes it seem like you’re entering a Soviet hellhole, but then you reach the city itself, and man, it is beautiful. The architecture, the history, the fun risk of food poisoning any time you eat anything. It’s the perfect venue for Counter-Strike.
Then we got to the MVM Dome itself. Although it was only half-full for the first couple of days, the atmosphere was electric. torzsi will probably be wishing the home crowd was actually cheering for him, but we couldn’t help but crack a smile as the FaZe-loving fans were chanting “send them home.”
With that said, the weekend was a different story, securing Budapest’s standing as one of the best cities to watch Counter-Strike in.
It hasn’t been without its faults, the 360 stage has our Irish photographer wanting to return to some “traditional” 80s Irish behaviour, but we can’t complain too much — it’s made the viewing experience f-cking phenomenal.
It didn’t even matter that three of the quarter-finals were crap, the crowd made them a treat. And by the time we finally got some good Counter, they were warmed up and hungry for it, ready to make every moment iconic. They even kept quiet during frozen’s 1v1 Nuke defuse; where have you ever seen that?
We’re writing this before the final, and honestly, it could be a f-cking blowout. But, no matter what, we know it will be incredible.
Long live Counter-Strike.
They’ve done it again.
In the first BO5 final in Major history - set in the most stacked Playoffs ever - Vitality cemented their place among the immortals of Counter-Strike with back-to-back Major titles. But it’s not just that they did it, it’s how they did it.
On Nuke, FaZe struck first. Powered by the rookie’s deagle and an 11-7 start from Twistzz, the team stormed to an 8-4 half. Switching to the CT-side, karrigan summoned the ambulance for a battered Vitality, closing out the map with a ridiculous 2.90 CT rating.
Heading into Dust2, Vitality showed exactly why they have an 89% win rate on the map. They blew FaZe out of the water in the first half, racing to a dominant 9-3 lead, with a lone frozen 3K standing as the only glimmer of hope on their CT-side. After the break, ZywOo’s usual antics sealed the 13-3 victory, sending the now tied series to Inferno.
It wasn’t until the third map that we finally saw a semi-balanced battle. Vitality and FaZe traded rounds, with ropz’s A holds and mezii’s trigger discipline helping Vitality secure an 8-4 lead.
On the T-side, the British playa continued to tear through FaZe, breaking open the B site as if it were being defended by your average FACEIT duo. Despite FaZe’s attempts to respond with Banana aggression, the damage was already done, and Vitality closed out the map 13-10.
During the less-favored T-side of Overpass, Vitality exploited the inexperienced B defender jcobbb to quickly build an overwhelming 11-1 lead - even giving ropz the chance to flex his AWP prowess. From there, it didn’t take long for Vitality to seal the map and the series, powered by ropz’s 2.89 rating.
On one side, karrigan and co. leave this Major with their heads held high. After that Nuke blowout, the FaZe bullshit stock was at an all-time high, and we weren’t the only investors.
“I had [FaZe] in my Pick’Ems to win. They have beaten Vitality before in Playoffs; they beat them at this Major on Nuke, which they did again in the finals. I thought there definitely was a chance”, Launders told us.
Coming all the way from Stage 1 and just half a second from elimination, this was a run for the ages - but ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
On the other side, nine trophies in a single year, including two Majors. That’s one hell of a collection. Is it finally time to declare that Vitality have eclipsed Astralis as the most dominant force in Counter-Strike history? There’s definitely a case to be made, but that’s a discussion for another day.
So… when does the next one start?
Final standings:
1st 🇪🇺 Vitality – $500.000
2nd 🇪🇺 FaZe – $170.000
3-4th 🇪🇺 Natus Vincere – $80.000
3-4th 🇷🇺 Spirit – $80.000
5-8th 🇧🇷 FURIA – $45.000
5-8th 🇪🇺 MOUZ – $45.000
5-8th 🇲🇳 The MongolZ - $45.000
5-8th 🇪🇺 Falcons – $45.000
Following the obliteration of FaZe on the Major final stage, we had the chance to briefly speak with launders. Y’know, because the man definitely hasn’t spoken enough today.
It also turns out that what he really wants is his own bathroom.
For those who were in attendance, you may have noticed that the Scraunders duo were casting from within the arena itself, flanked by seats on all sides. We’ve been to a lot of events, and it’s often the case that the casters are separated from the rest of the crowd; certainly a lot more than they were here, anyway.
It was a pretty cool setup, but we asked him which setup he prefers, and why.
“I would say the box because then we can, like, go to the bathroom—there were 200 guys in there. You have to sneak in and out, not really wanting to sign autographs.”
Honestly, we get it.
He did say that “all the fans are super respectful, and that energy of the building is what makes stadium casting so special. The closer we are to people, the better,” so it’s not all bad.
Just like us, launders believed in the magic of the FaZe bullshit. He had FaZe in his Pick’Ems, and he told us that FaZe “have beaten Vitality before in playoffs; they beat them at this Major on Nuke, which they did again in the finals. I thought there definitely was a chance.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. launders’ Pick’Ems were ruined (just like most people’s, we guess), but hey, we got some great Counter-Strike.
