Vitality and FaZe set up blockbuster StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Grand Final

Team Vitality and FaZe have locked in their spots to set up a blockbuster Grand Final at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. It was Spirit and NAVI who fell just before the final hurdle, with the latter falling victim to a drastic reverse sweep to see out the night. After an evening of magical Counter-Strike, we have our finalists. Strap in to recap all the action.

Tilted donk can’t carry Spirit past resilient Vitality

It was an all-too-familiar story for Spirit against Vitality in the first StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Semi-Final. Five times these two teams have faced this year, and five times Vitality have emerged victorious. Despite the best efforts of donk, this was another chapter to add to the youngster’s tale in which he is failed by those around him.

A Mirage map one had the potential to be the perfect platform to set Spirit up for success in this series. They were delivering on all fronts, and eventually snatched map point at 12:6. That’s six opportunities to see it out, and snatch away Vitality’s map pick in the process. Round by round, that lead faded, and Vitality eventually fought all the way back to overtime. Despite the turn in momentum, Spirit once again took a 15:13 lead, but squandered another two map points and faced double OT. But give Vitality too many chances, and they’ll punish you – 17:19 being the final scoreline, Vitality winning on their first map point in the series.

Despite putting up a map-topping 34 kills, donk was left helpless as those around him floundered under the bright lights. It was visible in his visceral post-map reaction, in which it looked as though coach hally was attempting to calm his star rifler to little avail. With donk well and truly tilted, this series was only ever headed in one direction in map two.

Dust2 was the battleground for map two. Spirit’s pick, but you wouldn’t know it from the pathetic T sides. As much as it’s a community meme, it truly looked as though “donk, go kill” was the legitimate call from chopper, and when that didn’t work, plan B was nonexistent. They’re fortunate that plan A is simply so effective, or else this would have been an embarrassing scoreline for Spirit.

It’s almost impressive that their CT side managed to be worse. Spirit left donk alone on an island in B, with the trio of zweih, chopper, and tN1R left to hold A. Yet, despite this game plan being very little of a secret to Vitality, apEX still chose to exploit the weaknesses of A, over and over again, rather than face Counter-Strike’s force of nature on B. Even with Spirit’s lopsided resource assignment, it was nowhere near enough as the A site fell round after round, with donk left in impossible retakes.

The eventual scoreline in map two was 13:8 Vitality. That, you’d have to say, is still flattering to Spirit, who never really looked like they could compete with donk still tilted from the previous map. Spirit were eliminated, after a match where they failed to even reach what felt like a mandatory decider. And with their loss, more questions were raised about the long-term future of this roster. Will the underperformers be replaced, or will donk look for pastures new in pursuit of glory? One thing is for sure: this iteration of Spirit can’t head into 2026 stagnant, or more painful losses like this will follow.

FaZe take down NAVI in three

The StarLadder Budapest Major always delivers. FaZe vs. NAVI always delivers. Here, with FaZe Clan completing an incredible reverse sweep, it was a match made in heaven.

Map one of Ancient will go down in history as being the makazze show. Based on how NAVI‘s newest rifler performed, you’d never have believed this was a Major Semi-Final. No, this was a showing you’d expect to see in one of his FACEIT pugs, running it down Mid and finding multikills galore. FaZe simply could not find the answers to counter makazze, as he caused absolute mayhem time and again. You could even say it was donk-esque.

A 10:2 T side for NAVI meant they were pretty much out of reach for FaZe. The latter did manage a fine start to the second half, but by that point, the damage had already been done. Ancient ended 13:5, with makazze putting up his best-ever career map at a 2.54 rating. What a time to find his confidence.

Nuke wasn’t nearly as lopsided. Rather, we got a healthy dose of FaZe bullsh*t, overcoming an 8:2 deficit to pull it back. Clutch after clutch, full drama. The complete force of the crowd behind them. A triple AWP A hold from broky in a key round stands out amongst the rest as an example of where the FaZe magic seemed to overcome all reason. With a 13:11 finish, we were all tied up in the series.

THE SHOW GOES ON WITH @broky pic.twitter.com/KtDOT6tOAo

— StarLadder CS2 (@StarLadder_CS) December 13, 2025

If Ancient was all makazze, then Inferno was all jcobbb. FaZe’s Polish rifler has been questioned at every turn, but here, with the pressure turned up to the maximum, he delivered above and beyond all expectations. A rock on the CT side, finishing 17:10 for the map.

It wasn’t a map without adversity, though. As NAVI started to claw their way into the game and FaZe stuck on 11, Twistzz found himself a 1v3, and only a Deagle in hand. But nothing is too much for Russell Van Dulken, the man for the big occasion, who delivered three headshots with his sidearm to put FaZe on map point. More FaZe bullsh*t. They are the masters of Counter-Strike’s intangibles, and here, the architects of their own destiny. From that moment on, seeing the map out was a mere formality.

NO WAYYYYY, NOT LIKE THIS TWISTZZ@Twistzz | #BudapestMajor pic.twitter.com/StKnUtJgtB

— StarLadder CS2 (@StarLadder_CS) December 13, 2025

Now we head to the Grand Final of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. Will it be Vitality, going back-to-back after one of the best-ever years in professional Counter-Strike? Or will it be FaZe, returning for their first Final since last year’s PW Shanghai Major?