Amidst powerhouses like Team Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, and Falcons—each with their personal agendas and ambitious goals heading into the first CS2 Major of 2025—there were a couple of teams lurking in the shadows, waiting to take their progress and solid achievements to the next level.
While all the “top dogs” entered the Major with the trophy in their sights, most fans and analysts focused on the Top 4: Vitality’s quest for greatness, Falcons’ opportunity to finally “slay the giant,” and Spirit and MOUZ’s aspirations to break through the mold and lift a Major trophy. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say many forgot about “the best after the best”—the teams that consistently made playoffs in 2025 but never managed to lift a trophy or overcome the pressure of performing in front of a live audience.
Teams like Aurora and The MongolZ, who were playing not only for themselves but also for their nations and patriotic pride. While Aurora fell short and couldn’t meet expectations, The MongolZ reminded us all of the magic that Majors on North American soil often bring to the table.
Progress in 2024
After qualifying for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, The MongolZ bolstered their lineup by signing Mongolian rifler and superstar Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold, setting their sights on taking 2024 by storm. Their goal was to reach the heights of the only previous Asian team to ever make the Top 16 at a Major (TYLOO at the FACEIT London Major in 2018). Entering 2024 as the #21 team in the world (HLTV Ranking), they quickly showed promise. Their undeniable firepower and surprisingly simplified yet efficient approach helped them secure the #1 seed at the Asian RMR for the Copenhagen Major and battle through the Opening Stage with a 3-2 record, equaling TYLOO’s Top 16 finish.
Unfortunately, making the Playoffs proved too difficult, and the Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren-led team couldn’t secure a win in the Main Stage—but that was just the beginning.
Over the next six months, The MongolZ won four LAN events, defeating ATOX, BLEED Esports, NIP, and Heroic in the Grand Finals of the MESA Pro Series Finals 2024, MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024, YaLLa Compass 2024 Abu Dhabi, and Thunderpick World Championship 2024 Finals Malta, respectively—amassing nearly $1 million in prize money.
Then came the Shanghai Major. On home soil, with Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat at the helm, the Mongolian squad dominated the Asian RMR. They advanced through the Opening Stage with a flawless 3-0, defeating Rare Atom, MIBR, and GamerLegion without dropping a single map. Even more impressive was their performance in the Main Swiss: defeating G2 Esports and MOUZ in Bo1s and beating Heroic 2-1 in a qualification match to become the first-ever Asian team to reach Major Playoffs.
Though they ultimately lost to MOUZ in front of the home crowd, with Usukhbayar “910” Bangzarch and Ayush “mzinho” Batbold shining brightly—and star player Senzu farming the Opening Stage—TheMongolZ had become a force to be reckoned with and had officially entered the Tier 1 circuit. The only question was: were they here to stay?
Unmatched Consistency
Following their impressive 2024, the Mongolian squad kicked off 2025 by reaching the Semi-Finals of IEM Katowice, falling to the eventual champions, Team Vitality. That wasn’t their only statement. In the first half of 2025, The MongolZ reached the Playoffs of 7 out of 8 LAN events, being eliminated mostly by Vitality, MOUZ, Falcons, and Aurora. It was becoming clear—TheMongolZ had become one of Tier 1 Counter-Strike’s gatekeepers: a team unlikely to upset the very best but highly consistent in beating those below them, ready to punish any slip-up.
Individually, 910 and Senzu led the charge. Senzu’s numbers weren’t always spectacular, but his consistency stood out, posting ratings between 1.07 and 1.19 (except at IEM Katowice and IEM Melbourne). 910, meanwhile, was more erratic—brilliant in some games but invisible in others. Still, after posting a year-high 1.22 rating at IEM Dallas (where The MongolZ again lost in the Semis to Vitality), his growth as an AWPer was evident. Incredibly skilled and quick, he was one of the few “traditional AWPers” still loyal to the “Big Green,” with 51.7% of his kills coming from it.
Major Time
The MongolZ entered the Major ranked #5 in the world—an all-time high—and began their run in Stage 3. The start was shaky. After dropping an 11-13 Inferno to FURIA, they fought back with 13-7 wins over Team Liquid and Lynn Vision.
Then came the shock. On Ancient against FaZe Clan, they started strong with a 7-1 T-side, but collapsed. They lost 11-13 on Ancient and were crushed 4-13 on Anubis, with 910 posting one of his worst Major Bo3 performances: a 0.75 rating and just 19 kills over two maps.
It was redemption time. Their last shot at making the Playoffs came against a crumbling G2 Esports, playing with hades as a stand-in AWPer and facing imminent roster changes.
Game 1 started calmly. Despite losing the CT pistol, The MongolZ secured six rounds on defense and stormed the T-side 7-0 to close out a convincing 13-6.
Dust2 was a different story. After falling behind 1-6 and 0-5 on CT and T sides respectively, a hero was needed—and it was, once again, Senzu. He posted a 1.61 rating, his fifth-highest Major map rating, and broke the record for most kills on a single Major map with 36 in 24 rounds. With bLitz adding 48 kills and 105.7 ADR, and 910 contributing 31 AWP kills, The MongolZ beat G2 2-0 and punched their ticket to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The Playoffs
The next few days were… special. The MongolZ ended FaZe Clan’s Cinderella run with a confident 2-0 revenge match where both 910 and Senzu once again dominated. The Semi-Final against paiN Gaming? Business as usual. All five players had between 25 and 27 kills, and the Mongolians dropped just 10 rounds across two maps.
By then, they had become the first Asian team to reach both the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of a CS:GO or CS2 Major—and the youngest team ever to reach a Final, with an average age of just 20.8.
“It’s revenge time.” — Techno4k to HLTV before the Grand Final against Vitality
The MongolZ were the undeniable underdogs. Having lost their last four matches to Vitality, and with Vitality seeking the “last jewel for their crown,” the odds were stacked against them.
But they didn’t go down without a fight.
Having taken Vitality to the limit in Dallas—winning Nuke 13-7 and posting 10 and 11 rounds on Inferno and Mirage—Techno4k and his teammates believed this was their perfect opportunity to get revenge and “kill the giant.”
Mirage was surreal, fantastic, shocking—everything. Thousands of Mongolian fans gathered in Ulaanbaatar at 4:00 AM on a Monday to watch their heroes whip the floor with the best team in the world. From 910’s unstoppable AWP plays to Senzu’s multi-kills and Techno4k’s magical clutches, The MongolZ were not just the better team—they were the team. It was a field day.
This wasn’t just a storybook run. It was proof they belonged.
Unfortunately, that was all they had left in the tank. Vitality’s unmatched skill, preparation, and the incredible leadership of Dan “apEX” Madesclaire brought the Mongolian dream to an end. With dominant wins on Dust2 and Inferno, Vitality lifted the trophy and cemented themselves as one of the greatest teams ever. But The MongolZ went out as heroes.
The Future
No matter what happens next, this Mongolian team has already made history. Players who once traveled for hours with barely enough money to attend local LANs now carry the hopes of a nation. Unlike many before them, The MongolZ look like they’re here to stay.
A team with no player over 23, only recently introduced to Tier 1 play, but already showing tremendous growth—not just in skill, but in composure and resilience—is anything but a flash in the pan.
