Aurora struggle past Venom into Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Playoffs

Aurora have taken down beaten Venom in a challenging 2:1 series to secure the final spot in the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Playoffs. It was very much a game of polar opposites, with both teams stealing away their opponent’s map picks in dominant fashion before things eventually came to their expected conclusion. Still, we almost got one of the biggest upsets in Tier 1 Counter-Strike, a testament to the magic of the Thunderpick World Championship.

Aurora make tough work of Venom

Following map one, I think we all assumed that we were set for a very quick series. Aurora dominated Nuke 13:2, dominating from start to finish. Venom had no answers on their own map pick, leaving them looking lost against superior opposition.

Then came Overpass. A map Venom have previously won just once from six attempts in the last three months. Previous stats didn’t matter here – Venom shocked everyone by seeing out a comprehensive 13:4 win. Now, at 1:1 in the series and Aurora looking vulnerable, imaginations could really start to run wild with dreams of a Venom win.

Those dreams continued through to the start of the Mirage decider. Venom strolled to an early 6:2 lead, and for a brief moment, we all started to believe that we were really about to see possibly the upset of 2025. Alas, the trouble with these top teams is that you have to put them away when you have the opportunity. Instead, Aurora found some real momentum, and were finally able to crush the underdog’s dreams in a 13:6 win. Still, Venom dared to dream, and Aurora felt truly rattled.

Spirited Venom run out of steam

If you didn’t know who Venom are before, you certainly do now. They were the big surprise package of the Thunderpick World Championship 2025, beating Imperial yesterday and pushing Aurora to three maps, testing them all the way. Given the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine a better sign of life for the often-struggling Polish Counter-Strike.

So yes, it might be an early exit for Venom from Malta, but they can look at their performance at this event with pride. Their VRS points may not be at the point where they’ll be receiving Tier 1 invites, but they’ve done enough to convince that with more time, they can really stick to the online grind and find their way to even bigger events in the future. Assuming they avoid falling into the typical trap of Polish CS teams in the past and can stay together, this isn’t the last you’ve heard of Venom.

With Aurora locked in for tomorrow’s Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Semi-Finals, it now ensures the four invited teams are the ones who made it all the way to the Playoffs. This means that we’ll get to see the highest level of CS on display, as four of the best CS2 teams go head-to-head for a chance at glory. The Thunderpick WC 2025 Semi-Finals are as follows:

• FURIA vs. Aurora
• NAVI vs. The MongolZ

With a prize pool of $850,000 on the line, the stakes are enormous – it’s not to be missed.