MOUZ have advanced to the playoff stage at BLAST Open Lisbon following a gritty 2-1 series victory over Spirit, recovering from a disastrous opening map to take back-to-back wins in overtime. After being thoroughly outclassed on Dust2, where Spirit dominated with a 13-3 result, MOUZ managed to dig deep and pull off tense wins on Nuke (16-13) and Ancient (25-22), replicating the outcome of their earlier meeting in the ESL Pro League playoffs.
The series began in disastrous fashion for MOUZ, who had no answers to the relentless aggression of Spirit’s offense on Dust2. With Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov leading the charge, Spirit capitalized on their pistol win and transitioned into an overwhelming performance on the Terrorist side. MOUZ barely had time to respond, as Spirit stormed through the first map with ease, giving them a strong mental edge heading into the second.
Nuke, however, proved a far more competitive battlefield. The game swung back and forth as both teams traded rounds, with Lotan “Spinx” Giladi stepping up for MOUZ and donk once again producing strong individual moments for Spirit. The map remained on a knife’s edge throughout, eventually heading into extra rounds where MOUZ showed composure under pressure—mirroring their overtime success against Spirit during EPL. They managed to edge ahead, securing a crucial 16-13 win to force a final map.
Ancient began with Spirit striking first, taking the pistol and gaining an early lead on their T side. But MOUZ stabilized on defense as soon as they were able to afford rifles, slowly narrowing the gap. They carried that energy into their own attacking half, only for Spirit—driven again by donk and sh1ro—to respond with momentum of their own, bringing the score to map point. In a desperate moment, MOUZ muscled through the B bombsite with a force-buy to keep themselves alive. That success turned into a repeated formula, as they found consistent success on B, pushing the game into overtime.
Once there, the chaos only escalated. With high-impact rounds from both sides and little to separate them, it was MOUZ’s relentless assaults on the B site that made the difference. Spirit’s defense of that area faltered when it mattered most, allowing MOUZ to break through in consecutive rounds to seal the deal and claim the series.
With this victory, MOUZ are now set for a highly anticipated upper bracket clash—potentially a rematch against Vitality from the ESL Pro League grand final, should Vitality win their upcoming bout with Virtus.pro. Spirit, on the other hand, will drop to the lower bracket where they will face FaZe in what could be a make-or-break elimination match.
This result further solidifies MOUZ’s claim to being the second-strongest team in the current competitive landscape. With a recent tournament title, a runner-up finish at ESL Pro League, and two consecutive victories over Spirit, they are staking their claim just behind the dominant force of Vitality. A key factor in their rise has been their newfound ability to close out tight maps—something that eluded them in prior seasons.
For Spirit, the reliance on donk remains a double-edged sword. While the star rifler continued to lead statistically, his inability to consistently produce multi-kill rounds in the late stages of Ancient exposed the team’s lack of a backup plan. Once his impact faded, Spirit struggled to close out rounds, ultimately costing them a spot in the playoffs. The result reinforces the narrative that Spirit’s success too often hinges on donk’s individual brilliance, a weakness they’ll need to address to compete at the top level.
