At BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1, we’re in for an intriguing clash between Spirit and Wildcard — two teams from different regions, each with a distinct playstyle and map pool strategy. For Spirit, this is an opportunity to reinforce their status as favorites and extend their winning streak, while Wildcard will rely on tactical flexibility and unconventional decision-making to fight back. In this article, we’ll examine both teams’ current form, map pool tendencies, head-to-head history, and provide a match prediction.
Current Form
Spirit enters the match in solid shape. Over the past three months, the team has played 48 maps and won 33 of them — a testament to their consistency. In the past month, Spirit hasn’t participated in any tournaments other than BLAST Rivals, which has likely given them ample time to prepare and refine their strategies. In their last five matches, Spirit secured wins over FlyQuest, NAVI, and Virtus.pro, while losing only to top-tier teams Vitality and Falcons.
Wildcard has slightly more modest results, with 28 wins in 47 maps over the same period. However, the team has remained active: in April, they advanced through the regional qualifiers for the BLAST.tv Austin Major and finished 5th–6th at CCT Global Finals 2025. Their recent form has been inconsistent — they’ve only won two of their last five matches, with losses to powerhouse teams like Vitality, Heroic, and BetBoom.
Map Pool Breakdown
In the standard veto process, here’s what we can expect:
First bans:
- Spirit will likely remove Dust2, which is their consistent perma-ban despite a strong win rate.
- Wildcard usually bans Inferno, even though they have a decent track record on it.
Picks:
- Spirit will probably pick Nuke (12 games played, 67% win rate). While Wildcard also performs well on Nuke, Spirit’s comfort on the map makes it a natural choice despite the risk.
- Wildcard will likely respond with Train (4 games, 75% win rate), capitalizing on the fact that Spirit rarely plays this map.
Second bans:
- Spirit might remove Mirage or Ancient, aiming to weaken Wildcard’s options further.
- Wildcard will likely ban Anubis, another strong map for Spirit.
Decider:
- The deciding map could be either Mirage or Ancient, depending on the ban sequence. Both teams have moderate stats on these maps, making them a fairly balanced decider option.
Head-to-Head Record
In the past six months, Spirit and Wildcard have not faced each other in any official matches. This lack of direct experience adds an extra layer of unpredictability, as both teams must rely on scouting and preparation rather than past encounters.
Match Prediction
On paper, Spirit appears to be the stronger team — with consistent results, wins over elite opponents, and a deep map pool with reliable picks. Wildcard can make an impact, especially on maps like Train, but their inconsistent form and lack of recent top-tier wins put them at a disadvantage.
We predict a 2-1 victory for Spirit, with the series likely going to all three maps. Wildcard might take their own map pick, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to sustain the fight across the full series.
