Liquid’s New Lineup Opens BLAST Bounty With a 2-0 Shock Against Vitality

Johnny "JT" Theodosiou and Georgi "Jorko" Mitev made their debuts as Liquid took Anubis 13-10 and Nuke 13-9.

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Liquid opened its BLAST Bounty S2 run with a 2-0 win over Vitality on July 24, taking Anubis 13-10 before closing out Nuke 13-9. The result also gave Johnny “JT” Theodosiou and Georgi “Jorko” Mitev a dream debut with the revamped roster.

“I’m still shocked, I can’t believe it,” Jorko said during the post-match stream interview.

Liquid had made two changes during its summer rebuild, benching Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak and Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek. The new version of the team immediately looked more confident than the lineup that struggled through the previous months.

Anubis was Liquid’s pick, and the team made its CT side count with well-timed aggression across the map. Liquid reached the half with a 6-6 score despite failing to win either pistol round, then finished the map 13-10.

Nuke looked like a tougher test, but Liquid’s individual performances kept Vitality from finding a way back. Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski produced multi-kills and clutches throughout the map, ending with a 2.01 rating. His performance recalled the form that helped him rank No. 19 in HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2024 while playing for Complexity.

JT also put together a strong showing, leading Anubis with a 1.27 rating. Jorko finished the series second on the scoreboard with a 1.24 rating in his first match for Liquid.

Vitality’s BLAST Bounty problems continue

Vitality’s latest loss adds to a poor record in the Bounty series. The star-studded roster has not reached a season final, despite its strong results in other competitions.

This defeat was especially rough because Liquid entered the match ranked No. 45 in the world and clearly outplayed Vitality across both maps. Vitality also fell short of qualifying for the LAN event in Malta.

BLAST Bounty was not Vitality’s main priority, but the result adds to concerns raised by the team’s form near the end of the Spring season. Liquid, meanwhile, could hardly have asked for a better first test with its two new players.

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