G’day guys, Joshua “OnlyJoshin” Warmington back in the saddle to give you a quick preview of all the teams in Stage 1 of the BLAST Austin Major 2025.
Let’s cut to the chase: FlyQuest and TYLOO’s expectations should be qualifying for Stage 2. They are either equal or better than most of the teams in Stage 1. I’m a bit unsure if Lynn Vision or Chinggis will be able to replicate that effort though.
Our sole Australian representatives in FlyQuest will open in Stage 1 this week, starting June 3, and we’re all hoping that they can make it to the next stage.
TYLOO
TYLOO are peaking at the perfect time with LAN wins over their peers at XSE Pro League and the Asian Champions League. The ACL win is of particular note; they beat FlyQuest twice and Lynn Vision on their way to EWC qualification and the trophy.
TYLOO are on their own little streak (sorry, Vitality) as they’ve won eight best-of-threes in a row. Their resurgence has been through the form of Chen “Moseyuh” Qianhao and Yang “JamYoung” Yi who have recorded 1.15 and 1.11 ratings in the past three months respectively.
We cannot ignore the aura of Ji “Jee” Dongkai as the heart and soul of this team. Will TYLOO be able to reach Stage 2? Given the quality of competition and their recent results, TYLOO should comfortably fly through at 3-1..
TYLOO are no longer the underachievers that they once were. Ashley “Ashhh” Battye, the coach of GamerLegion, even has TYLOO going through undefeated! If that isn’t a vote of confidence, I don’t know what is.
Lynn Vision Gaming
Lynn Vision’s gamble of forfeiting against Rare Atom paid off, didn’t it? Lynn Vision was the second Chinese team to qualify ironically at the expense of RA. I can hear Ben already in the background beating down my door for writing this.
Despite making the Austin Major, LV’s recent results in Dallas have left much more to be desired. Lynn Vision didn’t even win a map, and their losses to makeshift G2 and FURIA just poured salt into the wounds. However, they did make it to the Asian Champions League grand final.
Lynn Vision will need Ye “starry” Lizhi and Zhang “z4kr” Sike to fire off some crazy performances; otherwise, they are heading to de_airport. I wouldn’t be surprised if they replicate their IEM Dallas performance at this stage.
FlyQuest
FlyQuest has put me on an absolute rollercoaster of emotions after their tragic loss to TYLOO in the Asian Champions League after losing 11-straight CT rounds on Ancient.
Fortunately, FlyQuest recovered from that horror show with a drubbing against JiJieHao in the following match on Ancient to at least escape Shanghai with a third-place finish.
The recent pickup of Corey “nettik” Browne has paid off massively as he is already actively contributing to the team on the scoreboard. With a rating of 1.10 over the last three months, he is already joining Iulian “regali” Harjau (1.13) as the top two to rely on.
FlyQuest have picked up impressive wins against Virtus.pro at IEM Melbourne, Rare Atom at Asian Champions League, and went close against FaZe Clan on home soil.
Will it be enough? I think FlyQuest should be able to fly through at 3-2. And yes, I have no idea what they’re doing in that picture above either.
Chinggis Warriors
Chinggis Warriors made it to the major? How? Well, they made massive lower bracket run after losing to Eruption, took down God’s Reign, and beat out The Huns twice.
That all said, their recent streak has been a lot to be desired. MESA Nomadic Masters showed that they beat an underperforming SAW and their rivals in Eruption. However, they were summarily stomped by both B8 and HEROIC. Chinggis also lost to The Huns in the ECL Asia but managed to steal a map off TYLOO.
Chinggis will be leaning heavily on Unudelger” controlez” Baasanjargal (1.07) and Sodbileg “cool4st” Batbaatar (1.13) who have been their best rated players; however, I have them going home as one of the 0-3 teams looking at the field. Everybody is head and shoulders above them other than potentially Fluxo, Legacy, Metizport and Lynn Vision.
FlyQuest begins their BLAST Austin Major campaign at 4:45am AEST against Fluxo. You might want to set an alarm for that one. Hopefully, the boys can start on the right foot like the previous major and end the day at 2-0!
