At IEM Melbourne 2025, we’re in for a thrilling showdown as Vitality face off against Falcons in the group stage of the tournament. Both teams come into the match with championship ambitions, and this encounter could prove crucial in shaping the group standings. Vitality are in phenomenal form and stand just one step away from securing the Intel Grand Slam, while Falcons, led by the star duo of NiKo and m0NESY, are more than capable of upsetting expectations.
Current Form
Vitality
The French-European powerhouse Vitality are currently in outstanding form. Over the last three months, they’ve won 39 out of 47 maps, cementing their dominance in CS2. They hold the No. 1 spot in the HLTV rankings and are the favorites to win IEM Melbourne 2025 — a victory that would also secure them the Intel Grand Slam. Their most recent performance at BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 was flawless, going 5-for-5 with wins against Liquid, FlyQuest, Spirit, and MOUZ twice.
Falcons
Falcons are also displaying solid form. Out of 77 maps played over the past three months, they’ve secured 43 victories — a testament to their consistency and resilience. They competed in both BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 and PGL Bucharest 2025. Despite a shaky start in Bucharest, they bounced back and clinched the title. A major recent upgrade came with the addition of m0NESY, who has formed a deadly partnership with NiKo. Falcons are currently on a five-match winning streak, with victories over NAVI, SAW, G2, FaZe, and GamerLegion.
Map Pool
Vitality typically ban Anubis first, and this trend is likely to continue against Falcons. On the other side, Falcons almost always remove Inferno — which happens to be Vitality’s strongest map — making that ban practically guaranteed. For their pick, Vitality will likely go for Dust2, a map they frequently choose and have an 88.9% win rate on. Nuke is another option, but considering Falcons’ inconsistency on Dust2, it’s the safer choice. Falcons are expected to counter with either Mirage or Ancient — both maps they play regularly and where Vitality don’t have a clear upper hand.
In the second ban phase, Vitality will likely remove Train, a map Falcons have picked nine times despite a poor win rate. Falcons, in turn, may opt to ban Nuke to avoid facing Vitality on one of their strongest maps. This would likely leave Overpass or Ancient as the decider. If Falcons pick Ancient, then Overpass is the more probable decider. However, there’s also a case for Vertigo being the last map — a rarely played battleground for both teams, which could bring chaos and unpredictability to the final moments of the series.
Head-to-Head Record
Despite the star power on both rosters, Vitality and Falcons haven’t faced each other in the past six months. This lack of head-to-head history adds an extra layer of intrigue, as both teams will rely heavily on demos and map pool analysis rather than past encounters.
Match Prediction
While Falcons have a solid map pool, promising form, and an explosive lineup featuring NiKo and m0NESY, Vitality currently look like the more mature and consistent team. Their undefeated streak, deep tactical map pool, and overall synergy make them the clear favorite. Falcons might be able to take a map, but in a best-of-three series, Vitality have the upper hand.
Prediction: Vitality to win 2-1.
