Two legacy Counter-Strike organizations have started the 2026 season poorly, as both fell in the first round of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1.
FaZe magic doesn’t work online
FaZe were the first to fall, taking on Swedish EYEBALLERS with JW on the roster. FaZe started the match strong, winning EYEBALLERS’ pick of Ancient 13-6, but their smiles quickly faded.
On Mirage, FaZe’s pick, the international squad looked clueless, as EYEBALLERS dominated them and took a 10-2 CT-side lead. It did not get much better after halftime, as EYEBALLERS closed it out 13-4.
On the Inferno decider, FaZe did a little better and won five rounds on the T side, but still trailed 7-5 at the half. EYEBALLERS’ T side was nothing to scoff at, and even a FaZe pistol win was not enough to keep the game close, as they lost the map 13-7 and the series 2-1.
Major fairytale into online failure
Even more disappointing to me was NAVI’s loss to Monte, who were playing with a stand-in, as rainwaker filled in after ryu left for Astralis.
NAVI, just like FaZe, started strong and took the first map of Nuke 13-11. Going into Mirage, NAVI’s pick, the series looked to be over, especially after NAVI took an 8-4 halftime lead heading into their CT-side. A monstrous T side from Monte saw them claw back and tie the series 1-1 with a 13-11 win of their own.
Dust2, the decider, was a different story, as NAVI did not even reach double digits. Monte closed out Dust2 13-8 after a strong CT side, taking the series 2-1.
Both NAVI and FaZe losing in the first round is incredibly disappointing, considering they met in the Major semifinal just a month ago.
