Vitality booked their place in the StarLadder Budapest Major semi-finals after a convincing 2-0 quarter-final victory over The MongolZ, taking Mirage 13-5 and Dust2 13-4 in a one-sided series. The European squad looked in complete control across both maps and will next meet Spirit for a spot in the grand final.
Mirage opened the series and quickly turned into a showcase for Vitality’s star AWPer Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. Vitality led 7-5 at half on the CT side, but the second half belonged entirely to the French side as The MongolZ collapsed offensively and were unable to find footholds when defending later rounds.
ZywOo was the standout performer of the match. He finished Mirage with an exceptional map rating, going 15-1 on the Terrorist side in that map and producing a dominant round-impact performance. After both maps he ended the series with a match rating of 2.18 and summed up the night by saying, “The game was flawless for me and for my team.” His influence on Vitality’s tempo and opening kills set the tone throughout.
The MongolZ arrived in Budapest having turned heads in Stage 3 with stand-in Unudelger “controlez” Baasanjargal delivering above-expectation performances, but those earlier sparks were extinguished by Vitality. Against the French side they struggled to keep pace and were repeatedly stifled by coordinated Vitality executes and strong individual displays.
Dust2 followed much the same script. The MongolZ managed a few early defensive rounds and briefly showed signs of life, but a pivotal 1v3 clutch from Robin “ropz” Kool in the eighth round erased momentum for the Mongolians and swung Dust2 fully in Vitality’s favor. After securing multiple pistol rounds late in the match, Vitality closed Dust2 with a five-round run to finish the map 13-4.
Vitality’s late-game pistol dominance was decisive: the team converted four out of four pistols in the second half on Dust2 and rode those economic advantages to seal the series. The two-map sweep ended The MongolZ’s impressive run at the event and confirmed Vitality as one of the favourites remaining.
The win sets up a high-profile semi-final clash with Spirit. Spirit advanced earlier in the day after defeating Falcons, ending what some had called a brief redemption arc for the opposing side’s coach and veteran players. The upcoming Vitality–Spirit match will pit ZywOo against Spirit’s young star Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, promising a marquee duel as both sides chase a place in the final.
Individual and team statistics underlined the imbalance of the series. For Vitality, ZywOo posted a combined 46–18 K–D, a top ADR and an extremely high KAST rate, while ropz and William “mezii” Merriman also contributed strongly with positive K–D and high involvement figures. Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, however, had a down night with a negative K–D and low impact on the overall numbers.
The MongolZ players still showed moments of quality—Ayush “mzinho” Batbold ended with a near-even K–D and was their most reliable performer—but the team as a whole could not match Vitality’s firepower. Other members of the Mongolian lineup posted subpar ratings in the series, reflecting the broader difficulties the squad faced against elite opposition.
Looking ahead, Vitality will aim to carry this form into the semi-final and maintain the clinical approach that dismantled The MongolZ. Spirit will present a sterner test, especially if their newcomers and established stars replicate the strong team performance they produced earlier in the event. The matchup promises to be one of the weekend’s must-watch encounters.
Summary of key facts: Vitality defeated The MongolZ 2–0 in the StarLadder Budapest Major quarter-finals (Mirage 13–5, Dust2 13–4). Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut finished the match with an outstanding overall rating of 2.18 and dominated Mirage in particular. Vitality’s reward is a semi-final against Spirit, who progressed after beating Falcons earlier in the day.