Vitality defeat Spirit to reach the grand final of StarLadder Budapest Major

Vitality have confidently advanced to the grand final of the StarLadder Budapest Major, beating Spirit 2:0. The series began on Mirage — Vitality’s map pick. The French squad survived eight map points and closed out the game in overtime, securing a 19:17 victory. Dust 2, picked by Spirit, also went in favor of Vitality and ended 13:8.

Statistically, the match turned into a duel of stars. The MVP of the series was Robin “ropz” Kool with a 1.34 rating. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets delivered another high-level performance with a 1.33 rating, while Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut finished the match with a 1.20 rating.

For Vitality, this win continues their dominance over Spirit: in 2025 the teams faced each other five times, and all five series went to the French organization. Spirit managed to take only three maps out of thirteen.

The result places Spirit 3rd–4th at the Major and earns the team $80,000. This is the second tournament in a row where the “Dragons” fall just short of the final — in Austin, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Still, 2025 remains a standout year for Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov’s squad, as Spirit have already won BLAST Bounty Spring, PGL Astana, IEM Cologne, and BLAST Bounty Fall. Donk became Spirit’s best player at the Major with a 1.57 rating, while Zweih and chopper finished the event below a 1.0 rating.

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In the grand final, Vitality will face the winner of NAVI vs. FaZe. For the French club, this marks their second Major final in a row. In Austin, they defeated The MongolZ 2:1, but this time the championship match will be played in a bo5 format.