The best BLAST Austin Major pick’ems for Stage 1

The BLAST Austin Major Stage 1 Pick’ems are now live but who should you lock in for Stage 2, and who is heading home 0-3?

Counter-Strike’s viewer pass has returned once again for the BLAST Austin Major. Players have the chance to get themselves a diamond coin for their profile and some bonus souvenir packages, which they can crack open for potentially valuable skins. Either that or they can just sell them on the market.

Regardless, players have to get a certain number of correct picks in order to actually get those rewards. So who should be in your pick’ems for BLAST Austin Major Stage 1? Here’s a breakdown of who you should pick, why, and some alternative options.

Best pick’em choices for BLAST Austin Major Stage 1

Valve upped the difficulty when it comes to Counter-Strike major pick’ems and it hasn’t turned it down. Players have to pick which two teams go 3-0, which progress forward, and which teams go 0-3 correctly. Players have to get a certain number correct in order to get a token for a souvenir package. Here’s a quick breakdown of which teams to choose, why you should pick them, and who you could go with instead:

• 3-0: Heroic, Complexity Gaming
• 3-1 or 3-2: Legacy, B8, Nemiga Gaming, OG, BetBoom Team, Wildcard
• 0-3: Fluxo, Chinggis Warriors

Teams that could go 3-0

Complexity Gaming and Heroic are the definitive favorites to go 3-0 in the opening group stage.

Heroic is the clear-cut best team to have going 3-0 in the BLAST Austin Major pick’ems. The team has been performing at a high level and was competitive against elite competition in IEM Dallas. Complexity put on a very good show in PGL Bucharest, beating Team Falcons, Furia, FaZe Clan, and Aurora Gaming en route to a fourth-place finish.

Past these two are BetBoom Team and B8. B8 really made a statement in April by beating ENCE and Astralis to win its way through the qualifiers, then beating Heroic and BetBoom Team in the CCT Season 2 Global Finals. As for BetBoom Team, the team has been strong grinding in regional events and IGL Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov has a history of over-performing at majors.

Teams to pick for 3-1 or 3-2

Imperial Esports, B8, Nemiga Gaming, OG, BetBoom Team, and Wildcard are the teams to lock in as 3-1 or 3-2 squads.

B8, BetBoom Team, and OG are the safest picks of the bunch here. Imperial Esports, Wildcard, and Nemiga Gaming are edge cases. Amouranth’s team has scored some key wins over top-20 teams to keep the faith, Nemiga got some notable wins in the YaLLa Compass Qatar and major qualifiers, and late entrant Legacy is the best Brazilian team in this stage.

Tyloo, FlyQuest, Imperial Esports, Metizport, and NRG could all potentially break through. Imperial, NRG, and FlyQuest are all consistently strong within their regions. Metizport has gotten some big wins in 2025, including over some of the teams in this stage, but is limping into this event after some ugly losses. Tyloo has over-achieved in international play, beating 3DMAX and Eternal Fire in EPL Season 21 while repeatedly topping FlyQuest.

Possible 0-3 teams in BLAST Austin Major Stage 1

Fluxo and Chinggis Warriors are the teams to lock in for 0-3 in your BLAST Austin Major pick’ems.

It wouldn’t be a Counter-Strike major without having an Asian team bomb out at 0-3. Chinggis Warriors is the weakest of the three in this stage and is set to face Heroic in the first round. Fluxo is the weakest of the three Brazilian teams competing in this stage despite scoring a key upset over Legacy in the qualifiers.

Lynn Vision Gaming and Metizport are the other teams to consider here. LVG hasn’t done much to stand out in 2025 outside of scoring back-to-back wins over Tyloo in the ESL Challenger League in May. Metizport has gotten big wins and could realistically advance out of this stage, but the team’s recent form has been weak enough that a 0-3 run is completely possible with some bad matchups.