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The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 continues, now entering Stage 2, where every match matters more and teams start feeling the real pressure of the tournament. The group stage is still at MTK Sportpark, while the playoffs will take place at the MVM Dome in Budapest.
Day 1 of Stage 2 features a BO1 between Aurora and M80. With only a single map to decide the outcome, there is little room for mistakes. Aurora will aim to rely on coordinated teamplay and disciplined executions, while M80 looks to combine tactical leadership with aggressive rifling. Early control of the map and key rounds will be crucial, and this matchup will show which team can adapt faster under Stage 2 pressure.
How The Bookies View It: Aurora Favoured
Bookmakers see Aurora as the favorites for this BO1 matchup, with odds of 1.51 compared to M80’s 2.54. The lower odds on Aurora reflect their consistency, disciplined playstyle, and stronger recent results, making them the team expected to take the early advantage in Stage 2.
M80 form. What result can be expected from M80
Team M80 in 2025 has quickly established itself as a strong contender in CS2, emerging from the North American scene with a focus on competitive consistency and strategic gameplay. Founded in late 2022, M80 signed former ATK players and rapidly became known for blending emerging talent with solid teamwork. The organization aims to stay competitive in both online and offline tournaments while adapting to the evolving CS2 meta.
The 2025 roster combines leadership, fragging power, and versatility: Swisher provides reliable rifling and entry fragging; slaxz- excels as the team’s AWPer, offering precision in key rounds; s1n leads as captain and in-game leader (IGL), orchestrating strategy and map control; Lake brings aggressive rifling and flexibility; and HexT rounds out the squad with consistent rifling and clutch potential.
- Team M80 2025 roster: Swisher, slaxz-, s1n, Lake, HexT.
In 2025, M80 has had a mix of strong results and close defeats across several tournaments. Offline, they placed 2nd at Frag Ultra Mega Jersey 2025 (2:3, $2,500) and 2nd at Fragadelphia 19 (2:3, $9,000), while finishing 5th–6th at BLAST Open Fall 2025 (1:2, $20,000) and 20th–22nd at ESL Pro League Season 22 (0:2, $4,500). Online, they excelled with first-place finishes in DreamHack Knockout Atlanta 2025 (2:0, $5,000), NA Revival Series #8 (2:0, $4,000), Ace North American Masters Fall 2025 (2:0), and Thunderpick World Championship 2025: North American Series #2 (2:0, $20,000). They also performed well in NA Revival Series #7 (1st, 2:0, $4,000) and other C-Tier competitions, demonstrating consistent dominance in the North American online circuit.
M80’s strength comes from the balance of strategic leadership and skilled fragging. s1n provides map control and tactical direction, Swisher and Lake deliver steady rifling and entry power, slaxz- secures critical picks with the AWP, and HexT adds clutch potential in tight rounds. This mix allows M80 to remain competitive internationally, consistently challenging higher-tier teams while building experience for major S-tier events.
M80 Map Pool
Looking at M80’s map performance over the past three months, they have shown the most dominance on Mirage, winning 100% of their matches on this map. Dust2 follows with a 66.7% win rate, while Ancient and Train are solid at 62.5% and 60%, respectively. Inferno has been slightly less consistent at 55.6%, and on Overpass, the team has yet to secure a win when picking first, holding a 0% win rate. These statistics suggest that while M80 is strong on certain maps, some areas remain exploitable for their opponents.
Aurora Gaming form. What result can be expected from Aurora Gaming
Aurora Gaming in 2025 has quickly established itself as one of the leading teams on the European CS2 scene, showing stability, strategic discipline, and the ability to adapt to high-pressure situations. A major development occurred in April, when the organization replaced its previous roster with the Turkish squad Eternal Fire, aiming to strengthen the team and secure better sponsorship conditions. The new lineup is led by the experienced captain MAJ3R, with star riflers XANTARES, Wicadia, sharpshooter woxic, and support player jottAAA.
- Aurora Gaming’s 2025 roster: MAJ3R, XANTARES, woxic, Wicadia, jottAAA.
The coaching staff includes Fabre, whose analytical approach has helped improve communication, tactical coordination, and map control. The team has quickly integrated these changes, showing strong synergy and consistent individual performances, which are reflected in their results on the international stage.
Since the roster change, Aurora Gaming has delivered notable results across multiple tournaments. They started the season with a 5th–6th place finish at Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025, followed by a challenging 12th–14th at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. At Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025, the team placed 9th–12th, before showing stronger performances at the BLAST Bounty Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier (2–0 record) and 5th–8th at BLAST Bounty Fall 2025, demonstrating improving synergy and tactical execution.
August saw Aurora continue to impress, finishing 2nd at the Esports World Cup 2025, earning $230,000, while in September they placed 5th–8th at FISSURE Playground #2. October brought further progress with 9th–11th at ESL Pro League Season 22 and 4th at the Thunderpick World Championship 2025, highlighting consistent teamwork, map control, and clutch potential.
Throughout the season, MAJ3R has provided leadership and strategic vision, while XANTARES and Wicadia consistently deliver fragging power. woxic excels in taking key duels, and jottAAA offers reliable support and map control. This combination has allowed Aurora to implement diverse tactical approaches and adapt efficiently to different styles of opponents.
Aurora Gaming Map Pool
Aurora Gaming has shown notable strengths across different maps over the past three months. Their best performances have come on Train, where they boast an impressive 80.0% win rate, demonstrating strong coordination and control in mid-to-late rounds. On Inferno and Overpass, the team has maintained solid results with 62.5% victories on each, reflecting their ability to execute tactical strategies effectively. Their results on Mirage (46.2%) and Dust2 (45.5%) are more mixed, while Nuke has proven to be the team’s least comfortable map at 41.7%, suggesting room for improvement in adapting to complex rotations and utility usage. Overall, these statistics highlight Aurora’s map preferences and their potential to dominate in matches where their strengths align with the map pool.
Head-to-Head History: M80 vs Aurora
Aurora and M80 have never faced each other in an official match before. This will be their first encounter, making the BO1 in Stage 2 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 an unpredictable clash where both teams will need to quickly adapt to each other’s playstyle.
Predicted result of the match M80 – Aurora at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Aurora comes into this BO1 as the favorite, thanks to their experience and consistent results in recent tournaments. M80 is capable of putting up a fight, especially on maps like Mirage where they have shown strong performances, but Aurora’s teamwork and disciplined play give them a slight edge. Expect a close match, with Aurora likely taking the win if they manage to avoid early mistakes and control the key rounds.
Prediction: Aurora win.
