{"id":31608,"date":"2025-12-07T17:46:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T17:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/?p=31608"},"modified":"2025-12-07T20:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T20:13:32","slug":"natus-vincere-sweep-b8-starladder-budapest-major-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/news\/cs-2\/natus-vincere-sweep-b8-starladder-budapest-major-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Natus Vincere Sweep B8 to Reach the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Natus Vincere<\/strong> have officially locked in a <strong>top eight<\/strong> at the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/major.starladder.com\/en\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/major.starladder.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">StarLadder Budapest Major 2025<\/a> <\/strong>after taking down regional rivals <strong>B8<\/strong> in a 2-0 series. The win secures <strong>Natus Vincere\u2019s <\/strong>place in the tournament\u2019s playoff stage, marking another strong step in the team\u2019s ongoing rebuild and momentum surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The series delivered a mix of dominance, clutch moments, and emerging individual stars &#8211; particularly on <strong>NAVI\u2019s <\/strong>side &#8211; as they continued to show that they were more than capable of a deep Major run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"makazze 4 kills against B8 at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JblTsnpsNJ0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">makazze 4 kills against B8 at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Natus Vincere vs. B8 Match Recap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ancient: makazze Steals the Spotlight<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8naanc.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8naanc.png 640w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8naanc-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8naanc-150x88.png 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8naanc-450x264.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">B8 vs. Natus Vincere &#8211; Ancient Statistics at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opener on <strong>Ancient<\/strong> showcased <strong>NAVI\u2019s <\/strong>newest addition, <strong>Drin \u201cmakazze\u201d Shaqiri<\/strong>, who delivered his strongest Major performance to date. A blistering <strong>1.72 rating<\/strong> combined with an explosive four-kill pistol round on the CT side set the tone early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>NAVI <\/strong>powered ahead to an 8-2 lead, suffocating <strong>B8<\/strong>\u2019s attempts to gain map control. Although <strong>B8 <\/strong>managed to take the final two rounds of the half, <strong>NAVI <\/strong>immediately shut the door in the second pistol. <strong>Aleksi \u201cAleksib\u201d Virolainen<\/strong> delivered a momentum-crushing triple kill in the post-plant, teeing up a clean 5\u20130 finish to close the map comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ancient ended with <strong>NAVI <\/strong>looking structurally sharp and mechanically superior &#8211; a promising sign given how recently the map reentered their pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Train: iM and Aleksib Carry Natus Vincere Through a Tense Finish<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"639\" height=\"378\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8natrain.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8natrain.png 639w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8natrain-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8natrain-150x89.png 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b8natrain-450x266.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">B8 vs. Natus Vincere &#8211; Train Statistics at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Train<\/strong> told a very different story &#8211; one where <strong>B8 <\/strong>fought fiercely and pushed <strong>NAVI <\/strong>to their limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Natus Vincere<\/strong> exploded onto the map with <strong>Mihai \u201ciM\u201d Ivan<\/strong> dropping a quad kill in the opening pistol and maintaining pressure throughout the half. Momentum seemed firmly in <strong>NAVI\u2019s <\/strong>favor after big plays from <strong>Valeriy \u201cb1t\u201d Vakhovskiy<\/strong> and a clutch 1vs2 from <strong>Ihor \u201cw0nderful\u201d Zhdanov<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But <strong>B8 <\/strong>refused to crumble. A huge 1v3 from <strong>Alexey \u201calex666\u201d Yarmoshchuk<\/strong> fueled a comeback that tied the first half 6-6 and later brought the scoreline to 8-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Natus Vincere<\/strong> stabilized thanks to another quad kill from <strong>iM <\/strong>and key late-round coordination spearheaded by <strong>Aleksib<\/strong>. They reached 12-9 before <strong>B8 <\/strong>once again rallied &#8211; forcing <strong>overtime<\/strong> with a critical final-round clutch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the extra rounds, <strong>Natus<\/strong> <strong>Vincere <\/strong>finally closed the map 16-14, with <strong>Aleksib\u2019s <\/strong>A-site entries sealing the series and the team\u2019s place in the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Next for Natus Vincere?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"968\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv.webp 968w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv-150x84.webp 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/navvv-450x253.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 968px) 100vw, 968px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Team Natus Vincere CS2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Natus Vincere<\/strong> will now prepare for their <strong>quarterfinal matchup<\/strong>, where they will face one of the remaining top contenders in a single-elimination, best-of-three series. Given their current form &#8211; and the emergence of new strengths within the squad &#8211; <strong>Natus Vincere <\/strong>enter the playoffs as a dangerous, unpredictable opponent capable of upsetting anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Budapest crowd will soon find out whether this roster has what it takes to turn a strong group-stage finish into a championship run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Natus Vincere have officially locked in a top eight at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 after taking down regional rivals B8 in a 2-0 series. The win secures Natus Vincere\u2019s place in the tournament\u2019s playoff stage, marking another strong step in the team\u2019s ongoing rebuild and momentum surge. The series delivered a mix of dominance,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":31609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,11,247],"class_list":["post-31608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cs-2","tag-cs2","tag-cs2-news","tag-cs2-tournaments"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31608"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31616,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31608\/revisions\/31616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}