The MongolZ made a strong statement in their Esports World Cup 2025 opener by defeating GamerLegion 2-0, showing no signs of struggle in Saudi Arabia. This win places them comfortably into the round of 16, continuing their impressive run following their BLAST Bounty finals appearance.
GamerLegion, coached by Ashley “ash” Battye, had the chance to shake things up after skipping BLAST Bounty, preparing to gel with their new AWPer Jeremy “Kursy” Gast and combine Overpass back into their map pool. Early signs looked promising for GamerLegion as they grabbed a 4-0 lead on Overpass with three clutch wins in the opening rounds. Yet, their momentum quickly faded.
Economic troubles hit GamerLegion hard, and attempts to break through The MongolZ’s defense, particularly in the A Bathrooms area, were met with fierce resistance from MongolZ stars Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold and Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch. Techno noted that Overpass had been absent from the map pool for a while, so recalling strategies was a challenge, but he also acknowledged it as a strong map for their team. “Teams should pick it against us for sure,” he added.
mzinho’s Clutches Seal the Deal
Inferno was even tougher for GamerLegion. Ayush “mzinho” Batbold delivered two great 1v3 clutches that effectively ended any hope for a comeback. The MongolZ’s dominance was clear, and their teamwork shined throughout the series.
Watch part one of the second clutch here.
Kursy Faces Challenges
New signing Kursy struggled to make an impact, managing only two AWP kills and finishing with a team-low 0.69 rating. GamerLegion, who looked solid earlier in the season, haven’t quite found their rhythm post-summer break and have dropped to 11th in the European VRS rankings.
Among the highlights from the series were Kursy’s 1v2 clutch, The MongolZ’s successful 3v4 retake, and REZ’s impressive four kills in the A Bathrooms, though none of these were enough to turn the tide.
