BLAST Bounty Season 2 2026 Semi-Finals Preview: Can Anyone Stop Donk?

BLAST Bounty Season 2 2026 has reached its final four, but it has hardly followed the script. Several of the tournament’s biggest names failed to reach Malta, while three of the four Quarter-Finals required a deciding map. 

Spirit were the only team to make their passage look routine. FaZe completed a comeback that bordered on absurd, MOUZ escaped a triple-overtime battle, and Astralis survived after wasting enough map points to fill an entire highlight reel. Now, with just four teams left, there are favourites and underdogs, but no guarantees.

FaZe vs Spirit

If you enjoy calm, predictable Counter-Strike, FaZe’s Quarter-Final against The MongolZ was probably not for you. However, while their comeback against The MongolZ makes them dangerous, it also makes them vulnerable. FaZe was allowed to disappear for long stretches and still recover, but now in the Semi-Final, Spirit is unlikely to offer the same generosity. 

Spirit have been dismantling opponents left and right, and will enter the game as heavy favourites. Even though the sample is of a single match, it is still worth noting that Spirit has been the most dominant of the eight that qualified. donk is on a tear with a 1.76 rating, with tN1R right behind him with a 1.40 rating. It does not take much courage to call Spirit the clear favourites to lift the trophy. Believing in the magic of FaZe, however, is a different matter. Luckily, courage is not something I lack.

And contrary to popular opinion, the gameplan for FaZe shouldn’t be to “contain” donk. They have displayed some very methodical Counter-Strike on the T-side, and I think focusing on their game is going to be FaZe’s strongest weapon. They have had a shorter player-break compared to Spirit, and their warm-up at XSE Pro League could emerge as a silver lining. 

What I’ll be paying close attention to is JBOEN’s battle with sh1ro. The direct AWP numbers may not decide every map, but FaZe cannot afford for sh1ro to remove JBOEN early and leave their rifles exposed to donk’s aggression. There is a path for FaZe. A difficult one for sure, but a path nonetheless. And if FaZe fail to stop Spirit here in this event, I doubt any other team would be able to.

Astralis vs MOUZ

Astralis had a decision to make during the semi-final draft: Spirit or MOUZ. They selected MOUZ. It was the logical choice, although NEO revealed that HooXi had also felt confident about playing Spirit. Still, choosing an opponent adds a little extra spice. Astralis have effectively looked across the room, pointed at MOUZ and said, “We believe you are the easier route.” MOUZ will have heard that message.

MOUZ so far, has not looked half bad if you ask me. PR was always going to be a solid addition, and with torzsi firing on all cylinders, MOUZ look like a title-contender. But the problem has been the inconsistency of the AWPer and xertioN during high stakes, so that could prove to be what the game comes down to again. 

For Astralis, Staehr and ryu were the hardest hitters in the Quarter-Final against paiN. But they would also pray for more output from phzy and jabbi. It is apparent from the start that Astralis have questionable individual output to survive, especially on a difficult night for jabbi. But their biggest strength has always been their fearless attitude, like they have nothing to lose. 

Even though this is only the beginning of the event, and it may seem as though they have little to lose, the reality is very different. If they fail to convert tomorrow, they will miss a valuable opportunity to reach the Final of a Tier 1 event. This roster will not have unlimited chances, and sooner or later, it must start producing results. Tomorrow is one of those chances.

Regardless of the result though, this may be the closer of the two Semi-Finals. MOUZ have the greater mechanical ceiling, but Astralis have the more experienced dedicated leader and arrive with the emotional lift of surviving an exhausting Quarter-Final. Let’s see which one survives the night.