The MongolZ Take Down Vitality Again to Book Spot in EWC Grand Final

The MongolZ are proving to be Vitality’s kryptonite in 2025. The Mongolian squad has now beaten the Austin Major champions twice in quick succession, this time in Saudi Arabia, to lock in their place in the Esports World Cup grand final.

The MongolZ beat Vitality once again to secure the EWC Grand Final pic.twitter.com/yjMTkySWdt

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

It’s a massive statement from bLitz and his team, who have not only become the only side to topple Vitality twice this year but also done it when it mattered most.

Vitality’s Dominance Slips

For much of the year, Vitality looked untouchable. Seven titles in a row and a frightening winstreak made them the team to beat after the Austin Major. But things have wobbled since the mid-season break. They first fell to MOUZ at IEM Cologne, then to The MongolZ at the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals last weekend, and now once again in Riyadh.

Vitality had been The MongolZ’s nightmare match-up earlier this year, taking six out of their seven meetings. That run finally snapped in Malta, when the Mongolian side found their first win over the European powerhouse. This latest result, however, shows it wasn’t just a one-off.

The only team to beat Vitality twice @1mongolz ???????? pic.twitter.com/2U1WQ6kh1m

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

The Maps, A Twist in the Veto

The veto had a different flavour this time. The MongolZ stuck with their trusty Mirage pick, while Vitality threw a curveball by going for Dust2 and leaving Nuke as the decider instead of Inferno.

På Mirage startede The MongolZ ud i topfart. En dobbelt entry fra bLitz satte tonen, mens Vitality begik usædvanlige fejl. FlameZ efterlod ZywOo alene i en runde og overpushede sig selv ihjel i den næste. ZywOo og mezii hentede nogle runder hjem med skarpe multi-kills, men The MongolZ holdt stand. Deagle-heltedåd fra Senzu og 910 lukkede map’et med 13, 8.

Dust2 blev en anden historie. Robin “ropz” Kool fra Vitality åbnede med en pistol-ace og hev senere en 1v2-clutch hjem, hvilket gav holdet en tidlig føring. The MongolZ arbejdede sig tilbage fra et brutalt 1, 8-underskud, men Vitalitys kaptajn apEX fandt et mirakel med to MAG-7-frags, der vendte kampen. Momentummet bar dem hele vejen til at udligne serien.

Techno’s Masterclass on Nuke

Det hele kulminerede på Nuke, hvor Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold spillede en af sine bedste maps til dato. CT-siden holdt han som en fæstning, og angreb efter angreb fra Vitality blev slået tilbage. Resultatet blev en føring på 9, 0 til The MongolZ, før modstanderne overhovedet fik svaret igen.

Vitality kæmpede sig til to runder inden pausen og forsøgte at holde fast med glimt af klasse fra ZywOo, ropz og apEX. Det var aldrig nok. Techno og 910 leverede afgørende doubles i slutfasen og lukkede enhver mulighed for comeback.

Techno finished with a monstrous 27–11 K/D, a sky-high 148.3 ADR, and his second-best LAN performance ever, numbers that speak for themselves.

Vitality stood no chance against Techno playing like that ???? pic.twitter.com/2Z9AuofWvN

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

What’s Next?

With this victory, The MongolZ have secured a historic spot in the EWC grand final. More importantly, they’ve shown that Vitality’s stranglehold over them is well and truly broken. If they can ride this momentum all the way, we might be seeing one of the biggest underdog runs of the year turn into a championship moment.