With less than a month to go before the start of the first Major of the year, the BLAST.tv Austin Major, it’s time to share my power ranking of the teams that will compete in the tournament — focusing on those most likely to fight for the ultimate victory! This June will have a special flavor: the eyes of the world will be on Austin to finally determine whether Vitality truly deserves to be in the conversation for the greatest team in Counter-Strike history.
Vitality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With five consecutive titles in a spectacular start to the year, Vitality is without question the heavy favorite heading into the Major. Even if they fail to win a sixth straight tournament in Dallas next week — a temporary setback in an ultra-competitive scene — it shouldn’t shake their overflowing confidence.
The challenge, however, will be significant for apEX’s squad. Being the best team in the world means being analyzed, dissected, and counter-stratted. Some teams have studied them so thoroughly they may know Vitality’s game better than Vitality themselves. The team has embraced this status in recent weeks, but with time to prepare, the gap could narrow.
Playoffs enjoyer 😎 @zywoo pic.twitter.com/j3dJPonNAn
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) May 6, 2025
There’s also extra pressure that naturally comes with this moment — the pressure to deliver results, to cement the most dominant run in the game’s history by adding a Major title to an already glittering trophy cabinet and the Intel Grand Slam. Liquid did something similar in 2019 (six trophies and a Grand Slam) but failed to capture the StarLadder Berlin Major. With ropz and ZywOo at their current level, this unprecedented achievement is within Vitality’s reach.
Falcons: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is undoubtedly Vitality’s biggest rival. With two back-to-back five-map final losses, Falcons is the other team to beat at the BLAST.tv Austin Major. The arrival of m0NESY has changed everything for the Saudi-backed lineup. That’s how you recognize a top-tier player: by transforming a team. Signing a second star player to pair with NiKo, Falcons now has the kind of duo firepower that can rival ZywOo and ropz.
Though he struggled earlier this year, TeSeS has clearly benefited from the new momentum brought by the Russian AWPer. Since Melbourne, the Danish rifler has been consistently solid, emerging as a reliable third core for the roster.
Even though we all know NiKo’s tragic Major history — one of the last kings without a crown — the real question now lies with Magisk’s individual level and whether he can process the fact that he’s expected to be replaced (by kyosuke) after this Major. With a decline over the past 18 months, this might be Magisk’s last chance to win a fifth Major and join dupreeh in the record books.
MOUZ: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
MOUZ has two problems today.
Before m0NESY joined Falcons, they had only one: beating Vitality. Since the Russian’s arrival on kyxsan’s team, MOUZ has been unable to beat either Vitality (0-5 in 2025) or Falcons (0-2). These make up their last seven losses since February 16, 2025, when they also lost to FaZe. Despite this, and with a trophy win in Cluj-Napoca, the Hamburg-based team has earned a reputation as a serious dark horse.
In addition to matching the top teams in terms of gameplay, MOUZ has seemingly made Spirit their personal target, successfully neutralizing donk’s impact and winning both encounters in 2025. When you look at the individual performances under coach sycrone, it’s a well-balanced team, with no true superstar, where each player knows their role and performs within their comfort zone.
But here’s the catch: while Falcons and Vitality have their star players, MOUZ still lacks that clutch factor — the guy who, in the critical rounds of a huge match, can find that extra kill or pull off the decisive clutch to win it. In several recent matches — especially against Vitality — MOUZ seemed to be in control, only to let it slip. A breakthrough moment could finally shatter that glass ceiling hanging over the team currently ranked third in the world (VALVE Global Ranking).
Spirit : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Because donk, donk & donk! Listen, I could be an analyst on the international desk. When you take a step back and look at Spirit’s recent performances, the team doesn’t seem to be in significantly better or worse form than it was before their success at the Perfect World Shanghai Major. Two teams have clearly pulled ahead, but last winter in China, one man helped shift the momentum — magixx. The Ukrainian has clearly been underwhelming at the start of the year, but what matters for the Russian team is peaking together to defend their Major title.
Just like Natus Vincere at the first Major of 2024, what matters isn’t necessarily the momentum going into the competition, but the confidence and certainty a team can build over the course of a multi-week tournament. And if Spirit hits those marks in Austin, they’ve got the stars to win it all: donk and sh1ro.
In his rookie year at tier-one, @donk1337 earns top billing on the top 20 players list thanks to his all-conquering raw numbers and record-breaking peaks
🔗 https://t.co/l4aNswoPFU pic.twitter.com/QmOkutiTmS
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) January 11, 2025
Aurora, Natus Vincere & TheMongolz : ⭐⭐⭐
These teams could be serious dark horses, but they seem too limited to beat the current top-form squads:
- Natus Vincere has lost its game and confidence.
- Aurora has firepower, but its youth still lacks experience at the highest level and makes mistakes in big matches.
- TheMongolz seem tactically limited when the game gets tough.
If I were to bet on a surprise today, it would probably be on Liquid. At the next Major, we should see the results of siuhy‘s work in a team that has enough firepower to compete with the best teams (even though I think their ultimate sniper’s potential remains limited). Liquid could be the unexpected team, even though my reason and my heart see Vitality winning for the history!
