In the semifinals of the BLAST Open Spring 2025, we anticipate an epic battle between Vitality and Spirit—two giants in the CS world. Vitality has been dominating the scene since the start of the year, while Spirit continues to impress with consistent gameplay and confident victories over top opponents. In this article, we will analyze the teams' form, review the map pool, and make a prediction on the outcome of this high-profile match.

Current Team Form

Vitality has been showcasing excellent form recently. Their average rating over the past month is 6.6—one of the best at the tournament. The team confidently won IEM Katowice 2025, not dropping a single map in the playoffs and crushing opponents in the grand final with a 3-0 score. At ESL Pro League Season 21, Vitality advanced to the playoffs with a perfect 3-0 record, demonstrating stability and powerful team play.

Spirit is also in good form. At ESL Pro League Season 21, the team placed in the top 4, defeating NAVI with a significant advantage. Their gameplay style has become more organized and aggressive, and the individual form of their leaders is at a high level. The encounter with Vitality will be a true test—a match between two of the best teams in the world promises to be intense and spectacular.

Map Pool

According to statistics, Vitality will likely ban Ancient first, where they have a 0% win rate, and Anubis with an unconvincing 36% over 14 matches. For their pick, Vitality will likely choose Nuke—where they have a 92% win rate over 12 matches. Alternatives could be Dust2 (85% win rate) or Inferno (82%), where they also feel confident.

Spirit has one of the strongest map pools on the scene: Train (100%, though only over 3 maps), Dust2 (86% over 22 maps), Mirage (67%), Ancient (67%), and Anubis (65%). The only map they consistently ban is Inferno (removed 39 times). In this match, Spirit will probably also get rid of it. The most logical pick seems to be Dust2, where the team has consistently defeated top opponents. A second option might be Ancient or Anubis—especially if Vitality doesn't ban them.

Past Encounters

Vitality and Spirit are well-acquainted with each other: over the past year, they have played 10 maps, with Vitality holding the advantage—6 wins to 4. It's particularly important to note that in 2025, they have already met three times at IEM Katowice, where Vitality emerged victorious in all maps. However, Dust2 remains a dangerous choice—Spirit has won 3 out of the last 4 games on this map against Vitality.

Match Prediction

Both teams are in the top of the world rankings and display an impressive level of play. Spirit might latch onto Dust2 or surprise on Mirage, but their chances heavily depend on the form of their leaders. If Vitality doesn't allow their opponent to secure comfortable maps and continues playing at their peak, they are the ones who will advance to the finals.

Prediction: Vitality wins 2-1

BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 takes place from March 19 to 30. The playoffs are held at the MEO Arena in Lisbon. Participants are competing for $400,000. Follow the results and progress of the tournament via this link.