Can MOUZ upset Vitality in the IEM Dallas 2025 Final?

After last year’s GStew run gave the Counter-Strike world an IEM Dallas to remember, 2025 has felt a little more tame this time around. More “business as usual,” with the cream undoubtedly rising to the top in this one. No gimmick runs, just damn good Counter-Strike. That’s not a bad thing, either. It’s just… different. The IEM Dallas 2025 Final sees MOUZ face off against Vitality. The former will be out to avenge their Grand Final defeats at BLAST Open Spring 2025 and ESL Pro League Season 21 from a couple of months back, while the latter are looking to extend a remarkable 29-match winning streak spanning all the way back to IEM Dallas 2025.

Will this be a predictable win for Vitality, or can MOUZ upset the odds? I want to look at the arguments for both, and make one final prediction to end IEM Dallas.

Vitality look mortal at IEM Dallas 2025

Vitality are yet to lose a series at IEM Dallas 2025, but looks can be deceiving. If there’s one thing for MOUZ to really hang their hats on coming into the Grand Final, it’s that Vitality have finally looked something resembling mortal throughout the event. Dropped maps to The MongolZ and Falcons had the potential to seriously spiral out of control, and on another day, these teams could have taken full advantage to get the win.

Ultimately, it says something about Vitality that they do keep winning even when not at their best. That’s the real litmus test of true greatness in any competitive environment. Individually, they’re performing pretty well, although the drop in rating by ZywOo to something resembling a human means the entire team now has to chip in to get over the line. Check out the ratings of Vitality at IEM Dallas:

• ZywOo (1.19)
• flameZ (1.15)
• ropz (1.11)
• mezii (1.08)
• apEX (1.08)

Across the board, it’s good stuff, but without ZywOo hard-carrying with a silly 1.45 rating, even one player being off the boil could put them in great jeopardy. MOUZ will arguably be their toughest opponent at IEM Dallas 2025, so if ZywOo continues at his current level, he’ll need all four of his teammates performing by his side if Vitality are to continue their winning streak. It’s not much for MOUZ to cling on to, but as far as silver linings go in what has historically been a tough matchup, they’ll take anything they can get.

flameZ vs. xertioN is the duel to watch in the IEM Dallas Final

Normally, when looking at the head-to-head of any huge Counter-Strike match, it’s natural to look straight to the AWPers. After all, they’re the difference makers on each team, but I don’t think they’ll be the deciding factors for the winner of IEM Dallas 2025. You kind of know what you’re getting from ZywOo and torzsi. Where ZywOo is more of a hybrid, happy to stick with a rifle if needs be, torzsi is a pure AWPer, who looks to get the Big Green in his hands as soon as possible and use it to its full effect. As two different players (even in the same role), they’re tough to compare.

No. I think the IEM Dallas Final will more likely be decided by the winner of the head-to-head between flameZ and xertioN. Two entry fraggers, both essential to their team’s success. But where flameZ always seems to pull those nonsense rounds out of the hat when Vitality need him most, xertioN tends to flounder, specifically in front of a crowd. It’s a fine margin between all the glory and failure, but this duo seems to fall on either side of it, despite similar ratings across the next three months (1.14 for flameZ, 1.12 for xertioN).

Across the five matches these two have played against each other in 2025, the head-to-head stats make for interesting reading. Vitality’s flameZ has xertioN beaten man for man, taking a 42:31 lead in duels against one another. It’s a solid sample size, certainly enough to suggest that flameZ has a big edge in this one. Given their important roles for the team, I reckon flameZ’s advantage with this particular stat is the reason Vitality will go on to win their sixth consecutive trophy tomorrow.

My prediction: Vitality 3:1 MOUZ