Vitality have won the BLAST.tv Austin Major after taking down The MongolZ 2-1 in today’s Grand Final.
The victory caps off an extraordinary half-year for Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and his squad, marking their seventh title in a row.
At this point, there’s no doubt: we are in the Vitality era.
Strong start by the underdogs
Despite the end result, it was the Mongolian squad that got the best start.
The Grand Final kicked off on The MongolZ’s map pick, Mirage, where the underdogs showed no hesitation on the big stage.
Vitality opened strong on the CT side with a quick 3-0 lead, but it didn’t take long for The MongolZ to settle in. Led by the ever-sharp 910 and Senzu, the Mongolian squad pushed back with pace and confidence, clawing back round after round. A clean ace from 910 on the A site in Round 17 perfectly captured their dominance.
With a 7-5 lead at halftime, The MongolZ kept their foot on the gas in the second half.
Vitality couldn’t find answers, and The MongolZ ran away with the map 13-5, handing Vitality their first dropped map of the playoffs and putting themselves just one win away from an historic title.
Vitality answers back
After a shaky start on Mirage, Vitality bounced back hard on Dust2 to tie up the series and push the Grand Final to a third and final map.
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire’s men stormed out of the gates on their CT side, locking down six rounds in a row before The MongolZ finally got on the board. But the momentum didn’t last long. Vitality punished the Mongolians on a weak buy round and went into halftime with a commanding 9-3 lead.
After winning the pistol round in the second half, Vitality stayed in control and closed out the map 13-4.
It was a full team effort, but William “mezii” Merriman led the charge with a 20–7 K-D and a 1.91 rating.
Closing it out in style
With all the momentum on their side, Vitality made sure there would be no miracle comeback on Inferno. The French-led squad came out swinging on the decider, overwhelming The MongolZ from start to finish.
It was clear that the energy had faded from the Mongolian side, and Vitality wasted no time capitalizing.
After a strong T-side start, apEX and company closed the map 13–6, cementing their dominance and sealing the BLAST.tv Austin Major title in convincing fashion.
Final standings – BLAST.tv Austin Major
1st – Vitality ($500,000)
2nd – The MongolZ ($170,000)
3-4th – paiN ($80,000)
3-4th – MOUZ ($80,000)
5-8th – FaZe ($45,000)
5-8th – Natus Vincere ($45,000)
5-8th – FURIA ($45,000)
5-8th – Spirit ($45,000)
9-11th – Virtus.pro ($20,000)
9-11th – G2 ($20,000)
9-11th – Legacy ($20,000)
12-14th – Aurora ($20,000)
12-14th – 3DMAX ($20,000)
12-14th – Lynn Vision ($20,000)
15-16th – Liquid ($20,000)
15-16th – Nemiga ($20,000)
