The match between ENCE and B8 in the Play-in of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 European Regional Qualifier will be a decisive test for both teams. The winner will earn the chance to compete for the last slot in the major, while the loser will conclude their tournament journey. The battle promises to be intense, as both teams display a similar level of play, and their styles and map pools create an intriguing strategic duel.
Current Team Form
ENCE
ENCE is showing a stable, albeit not outstanding form. The team's average rating at events over the past month is 6.2. They participated in the PGL Astana 2025: European Qualifier, where they placed 17-24, which was a disappointing result. However, at the YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025: Closed Qualifier, ENCE performed better, winning their group with a 4-1 record and earning an invite to the main tournament. In the BLAST.tv Austin Major ERQ, the team advanced to the Play-in, finishing the stage with a 3-2 record and landing in the lower seed. Out of their last five matches, ENCE won three against fnatic, 500, and SAW. Their losses were to stronger opponents — Astralis and HEROIC.
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 | ENCE | 2 - 0 | SAW |
| Apr 16 | ENCE | 2 - 1 | fnatic |
| Apr 15 | ENCE | 0 - 1 | Astralis |
| Apr 14 | ENCE | 0 - 1 | HEROIC |
| Apr 14 | ENCE | 1 - 0 | 500 |
B8
B8 also maintains a stable average rating of 6.1 over the past month. The team performed better at the PGL Astana 2025: European Qualifier, reaching the playoff quarterfinals, but eventually got eliminated. At the BLAST.tv Austin Major ERQ, B8 started the tournament with a poor 0-2 record but managed to rally and finished the stage at 3-2, securing a spot in the Play-in in the lower seed. Over the last five matches, B8 secured victories against PARIVISION, BC.Game, and 9 Pandas, but suffered losses to SAW and Metizport.
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 | B8 | 2 - 0 | 9 Pandas |
| Apr 16 | B8 | 2 - 0 | BC.Game |
| Apr 15 | B8 | 2 - 1 | PARIVISION |
| Apr 14 | B8 | 0 - 1 | SAW |
| Apr 14 | B8 | 0 - 1 | Metizport |
Team Map Pool
ENCE prefers to ban the Inferno map, doing so 23 times. Their map selection strategy is based on exploiting the opponent's weaknesses, making Ancient (28 games, 61% win rate), Mirage (16 games, 44% win rate), and Anubis (13 games, 69% win rate) key in their map pool. The team has the greatest chances of success on Anubis (69% win rate), Ancient (61%), and Nuke (55%). Anubis becomes the team's primary choice, given its high win rate, while Ancient is likely to remain as the decider.
B8, on the other hand, prefers to ban the Train map (19 times). The team selects maps by analyzing the opponent's weaknesses, focusing on Mirage (31 games, 84% win rate), Ancient (19 games, 68% win rate), and Dust II (16 games, 50% win rate). Their strongest map is Mirage with an impressive 84% win rate. B8 will likely choose Mirage as their strongest map, with Ancient remaining as the decider, given its popularity with both teams.
| Map | ENCE Winrate | M | B | Last 5 Matches (ENCE) | B8 Winrate | M | B | Last 5 Matches (B8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirage | 44% | 16 | 9 | W, L, L, L, FB | 84% | 31 | 1 | W, W, W, W, W |
| Inferno | 0% | 0 | 23 | FB, FB, FB, FB, FB | 36% | 11 | 12 | L, W, W, L, L |
| Nuke | 55% | 11 | 7 | L, L, W, W, W | 21% | 14 | 8 | W, FB, L, L, L |
| Anubis | 69% | 13 | 6 | L, W, L, W, W | 45% | 11 | 8 | L, L, FB, W, L |
| Train | 40% | 5 | 2 | L, L, W, L | 60% | 5 | 19 | L, W, W, L, FB |
| Ancient | 61% | 28 | 2 | L, L, W, L, FB | 68% | 19 | 3 | W, L, W, W, W |
| Dust II | 50% | 12 | 10 | W, W, L, W, FB | 50% | 16 | 4 | W, W, L, L, L |
Head-to-Head Meetings
In the past six months, ENCE and B8 have faced each other once, 18 days ago. In that match, B8 emerged victorious with a score of 2:1. This could play a psychological role, boosting B8's confidence.
| Date | Team | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 days ago | B8 | 2 - 1 | ENCE |
Match Prediction
The match between ENCE and B8 promises to be tense, as both teams have shown a similar level of play over the past month. ENCE demonstrates stability, but they might struggle against B8's aggressive style, especially on Mirage, where B8 has a high win rate.
Prediction: B8 wins 2:1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025: European Regional Qualifier takes place from April 14 to 17. The entire tournament is held online. Participants are competing for six spots at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. You can follow the results and progress of the tournament through this link.
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