BLAST Austin Major: Who to choose for your Stage 2 pick’ems

Stage 2 of the BLAST Austin Major is now decided and for most fans, the question now is which teams to lock in for the pick’ems.

The first stage of the biggest Counter-Strike tournament of 2025 was a wild one, though things largely went according to plan. There were some surprises like Complexity Gaming bombing out with a 1-3 record. But as Jaxon’s first group stage pick’ems show, most of the teams that were expected to advance managed to do so.

Stage 2 of the group stage includes some of the best teams in all of Counter-Strike today, which should theoretically make things even easier. But which teams give you the best chance to get that coveted diamond coin and an extra souvenir package? We break it down.

BLAST Austin Major Stage 2 groups pick’ems guide

As is the recent tradition in Counter-Strike, pick’ems now task fans with picking teams’ exact records in the group stage. It’s not particularly fair, given how common it is to have 3-0 and 0-3 picks get matched together, but it does make the diamond coin that much more of a treasure. Here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of which teams give you the best chance of getting one in each category:

• 3-0: Team Falcons, Heroic
• 3-1 or 3-2: FaZe Clan, 3DMAX, Furia, Virtus.pro, MIBR, BetBoom Team
• 0-3: Lynn Vision Gaming, M80

Vitality vs. Falcons – IEM Dallas 2025 – Semifinal

Teams that could go 3-0

Everyone’s Group Stage 2 pick’ems for the BLAST Austin Major should have Team Falcons at 3-0. Since adding Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov in April, the team has won every match it has played against teams that aren’t top-ranked Vitality or second-ranked MOUZ. Falcons is definitively one of the four best teams in Counter-Strike today, and nobody else even comes close in this group stage.

Past Falcons, there are a few candidates. Heroic entered the major as a dark horse candidate for a deep run, and it’s looked the part so far. There’s a very good chance that Heroic can put in a repeat performance of its 3-0 performance in the first group stage, if it can avoid Falcons.

FaZe Clan has the highest ceiling past those two. The team added Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev for the major and showed some glimmers of strength in IEM Dallas. A 3-0 run is definitely possible if the team can gel.

Beyond them, it’s a jump ball. 3DMAX, Furia, Virtus.pro, or even BetBoom could potentially go 3-0.

Teams that could go 3-1 or 3-2

3DMAX, Furia, Virtus.pro, and MIBR are all teams that have had at least some degree of success in top-tier tournaments and are definitely worth locking in for the BLAST Austin Major Stage 2 pick’ems. There’s a very strong chance that all four of them advance, and they’re all inconsistent enough that a 3-0 run isn’t especially likely.

FaZe Clan could gel into a 3-0 team, but it’s unlikely to be that solid on such short notice. A 3-1 or 3-2 record is very likely, regardless.

Past that, things are a bit murky. Stage 1 winners OG, BetBoom Team, and B8 all looked good enough to consider here. BetBoom is arguably the best call here due to its players’ vast experience in majors.

WINNER TO STAGE 2! NRG vs Lynn Vision – Official Highlights – BLAST Austin Major 2025 Stage 1

Teams that could go 0-3

This is probably the hardest category for the BLAST Austin Major Stage 2 pick’ems.

Any of the teams that advanced into this stage with a 3-2 record are viable options here. Alongside them are Pain Gaming, which has looked very shaky in recent outing, and M80 which has limited success outside North American regional events. Any two of those five teams could work here.

The best options are probably Lynn Vision Gaming and M80. Lynn Vision Gaming didn’t look fearsome in the group stage and has a rough round-one draw in Furia. M80 and Tyloo are facing off and if M80 takes the best-of-one loss, it probably won’t recover.