DENDELE upset FURIA as BLAST Bounty Stage 1 comes to an end

FalleN's troops were the next favorites to fall in the online bracket.

Stage 1 of BLAST Bounty 2026 S2 came to an end with DENDELE beating FURIA with a 2-1 scoreline (Anubis 13-6, Mirage 6-13, Cache 16-14) to continue the trend of upsets in the online event.

The end of Stage 1 means 16 teams remain in the running, with matchups being decided by Bounty's usual draft format later on Friday.

DENDELE , who were making their debut under their new name due to a recent organization partnership, began the series well on their Anubis pick. Máximo "⁠maxxkor⁠" Cortina was fantastic on the defense and helped his team secure seven rounds on the less-favored side, and the Brazilians took that momentum to a confident 13-6 victory.

FURIA answered with a straightforward win on Mirage, but Cache once again went the way of DENDELE after overtime. Kaike "⁠KSCERATO⁠" Cerato and company were far from comfortable throughout on the map pool's newest addition, with Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo (1.20) and KSCERATO (1.05) being the only individuals on their team with a positive rating.

Earlier in the day, 3DMAX beat magic in a hard-fought series, with recent addition Jeremy "⁠Kursy⁠" Gast topping the server with a 1.42 rating, before the revamped The MongolZ roster bested HEROIC in an equally tight affair.

Usukhbayar "⁠910⁠" Banzragch was the star of the team across the series, but it was new recruit Dugarsuren "⁠DarkMeister⁠" Ireedui who turned the tide in the double-overtime Dust2 decider with 36 kills and a 1.39 rating to keep The MongolZ alive at the tournament.

Friday also saw one of the title favorites dumped out, as Liquid ended Vitality 's 24-event playoff streak after getting the better of Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire and company with a 2-0 scoreline.