The MongolZ managed to escape a potential upset in their BLAST Open Lisbon debut, shaking off a shaky start to dominate the final map against M80 and secure a 2-1 win. The series began with tight results on Dust2 and Ancient, finishing 13-11 and 11-13 respectively, but concluded with a lopsided 13-2 on Inferno that clearly separated the two teams.
The Mongolian roster entered the match looking rusty, resembling more of the squad that struggles in quiet studio settings than the fiery team often seen on big stages. The initial two maps featured several uncharacteristic errors, giving M80 every opportunity to close out the series before momentum shifted in the decider.
In the opening game on Dust2, M80 capitalized on early advantages by winning both pistol rounds, but their inability to convert those into solid leads came back to haunt them. The MongolZ responded with a strong force-buy that opened up a 6-1 advantage. Despite M80 recovering slightly with five rounds before the half, The MongolZ regained control thanks to a Tec-9 triple kill from Techno, only to later lose key rounds due to time mismanagement and a late clutch from slaxz- that brought the score even. Ultimately, The MongolZ did just enough to edge out the win.
Ancient turned the tables. This time, M80 made the most of The MongolZ’s map choice, immediately pressuring them with smart positioning and individual performances. Lake, after a quiet showing on Dust2, found his rhythm, while reck took over the spotlight during the gun rounds with multiple clutches and a devastating CT side. His 18-6 scoreline and 148 ADR led M80 to a commanding 8-4 halftime lead.
With another pistol and early conversions going their way, M80 surged to an 11-4 advantage and appeared poised to close out the map. However, The MongolZ roared back on defense, sparked by the trio of 910, mzinho, and Techno. Their energy shift was evident in aggressive MP9 plays and a triple kill from mzinho that reignited their hopes. Even with Senzu’s limited impact, his late-round heroics helped prolong the comeback effort.
That push nearly brought them across the finish line, but a late-round collapse in a 2v5 situation handed M80 the final say on Ancient, driven by slaxz- once more, who delivered a stunning clutch to deny the reverse sweep on map two.
With both teams entering Inferno tied at one map apiece, The MongolZ reset completely and returned to the server with a dominant presence. Techno blazed through the early rounds with a 12-1 start, as M80’s offensive attempts floundered time and again. Lake, a key figure earlier, had a disastrous outing, finishing with one of the worst LAN performances of his career and a 0.27 rating.
By halftime, the match was already slipping away from M80 with The MongolZ leading 10-2. It didn’t take long after the side swap for the Mongolian side to close out the map with authority. Although they clinched the win convincingly in the end, their uneven performance across the series leaves lingering concerns ahead of their next matchup, particularly with a potential rematch against Natus Vincere looming on the horizon.
