A Real Threat? Why The MongolZ Might Conquer the Austin Major 2025

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

12 Jun

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

While names like Team Vitality or MOUZ patiently await their chance to impress, Eastern squads have been rocking the early stages of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 as teams like Lynn Vision cause chaos on Texan land. And yet, as we head for the final Swiss Stage of the tournament, the biggest Eastern threat of all is still waiting for its chance to pounce — The MongolZ.

After an impressive, yet simultaneously disappointing start to the year for the team, The MongolZ will now look to Austin as their shot to truly engrave their names among the Counter-Strike giants. Can the Mongolian squad make a run for the throne? Or will the pressure of the spotlight reveal the cracks still hidden beneath their rise?

The Mongolian Horde Marches On

For years, The MongolZ were known as the APAC wild card — the team that could break your Pick'Ems but rarely break into the final stages of a Tier-1 tournament. They were electric, unpredictable, and raw. That team, however, lies in the past.

No longer just the crowd favorites from Ulaanbaatar with nothing to lose, The MongolZ have evolved into a legitimate threat, capable of dismantling seasoned contenders and forcing elite teams into uncomfortable positions on a consistent basis.

Can 2025 prove to be the year of The MongolZ? (Credit: The MongolZ)

Over the course of the eight top-flight tournaments The MongolZ have participated in to start the year, the squad have been able to back their evolution with commendable results so far. Here's how far the Mongolian side has managed to make it at each tournament in 2025 ahead of the Major:

IEM Katowice: Semifinals
PGL Cluj-Napoca: Quarterfinals
ESL Pro League Season 21: Semifinals
BLAST Open Spring: Group Stage
PGL Bucharest: Group Stage
IEM Melbourne: Semifinals
PGL Astana: Quarterfinals
IEM Dallas: Semifinals

The most telling sign of The MongolZ' rise in 2025 is the fact that the team has only competed in S-tier tournaments so far, while also finishing in the top 4 at four of these events. And the most impressive part? Three of the squad's four semifinal losses have come against the undisputed best team in the world: Team Vitality.

The Next Step: Gunning for Austin

Once a team known for their sharp aim and flair for magical moments, there is no doubt The MongolZ have elevated their level of play in 2025. A once chaotic team, the squad has shown a far more disciplined side to their gameplay in recent months. Their calling is cleaner and more structured, particularly in the mid-round, and, while still eager to resort to chaos as a tool for disruption, there is a clear gameplan behind the disarray.

So why, then, has the team failed to lift a single trophy so far in 2025? While The MongolZ have certainly developed into one of the very best teams in CS2, high-pressure LAN settings are still a constant thorn in the team's side, with the team's star rifler, Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold, often showing signs of inconsistency when his troop need him the most.

There is no doubt this team has the hands and brain to reach the top. Now they only need the nerves.

Can The MongolZ Win the Major?

For the Mongolian side to have any hopes of lifting the Austin Major trophy, the team will need to start believing they are a top squad. Though that may be clear for us on the outside, the team's cracks often widen in games that call for a steel heart. To illustrate our point, we need only have a look at the team's last tournament before Austin.

On the very same Texan ground, The MongolZ' best shot at a trophy came in May at IEM Dallas. For the first time in the year, the team was loading up to a play a semifinal match against someone other than Team Vitality. With a young and hungry MOUZ in front of the them, though, The MongolZ consistently failed to show up in the clutch, losing both maps of the semifinals with a 13-11 scoreline (while squandering a considerable lead in the second map in the process).

This has been the story of The MongolZ so far. While the team shows up to play crisp, sharp CS in the early stages of a tournament, they have repeatedly crumbled when placed beneath the spotlight. With no light in Counter-Strike shining brighter than that of a Major, The MongolZ' opening match of Stage 3 against FURIA will be a great way of gauging how the squad will handle the pressure of such a large stage.

There is no doubt that Team Vitality are the overwhelming favorites to lift the trophy at the Austin Major, but make no mistake, The MongolZ will come into the tournament firmly rooted into the role of a contender.

In the end, though, we only remember the champions. If The MongolZ want to be remembered, then the team will need to find a way to keep their cool when the heat is turned up to the max.

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Feature image credit: PGL

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