At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 3, teams shifted their focus in the map pool: Dust II and Inferno were the most frequently played maps, while Overpass and Train were the least played. Tournament statistics indicate that despite a general shift towards defense, Nuke and Mirage became the most comfortable arenas for the defending side.

Map Pool Overview

During Stage 3, Dust II and Inferno were played most often — 11 and 9 times respectively. Mirage (7 matches), Ancient (7), and Nuke (6) were picked slightly less frequently. Overpass and Train were played only 5 times, with 27 and 28 bans respectively, making these maps the most "radioactive" choices that teams preferred to remove in almost every draft.

The high ban rate across all seven maps shows that teams continued to adjust the map pool to their own strengths and weaknesses, preventing opponents from imposing "mandatory" arenas. Even Train and Mirage, which seemed comfortable in Stage 2, were often banned in the decisive Swiss stage if the opponent felt more confident on them.

Side Balance

In terms of victory distribution between sides, Stage 3 maintained a general trend towards a slight defensive advantage, but the character of the maps varied noticeably. Nuke and Mirage were the most "closed" arenas: on the former, CTs secured 71% of rounds, and on the latter, 60%, forcing teams on the attack to play with maximum discipline, relying on late rounds and tactical pauses.

Overpass and Train appeared relatively flexible: their win rates hovered around parity (55% CT on Overpass and 52% CT on Train), so outcomes were more often decided by preparation and mid-rounds rather than starting side. Dust2 and Ancient were slightly skewed in favor of the attack (51% T vs. 49% CT), which was particularly advantageous for aggressive teams building their play around quick entries and confident trades.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 will take place from December 4 to 14 in Hungary with a prize pool of $1,170,000. You can follow the news, schedule, and results of the tournament on the tournament page.