Draft Picks, Malta Stakes: BLAST Bounty Season 2 Stage 2 Bracket Locked

Tobias Ferrante Tobias Ferrante

Published: Jul 25, 2026

The BLAST Bounty Season 2 Stage 2 bracket is set after eight low seeds selected their opponents in a live draft on July 24, with all match winners earning a spot at the LAN finals in Malta – a $1,150,000 event running through August 2.

The draft format hands agency to the lower seeds, and the picks reflect calculated map-pool reads as much as form assessments. Ninjas in Pyjamas opened the draft by selecting paiN, while 3DMAX’s Damien ‘wasiNk’ Dufour flagged prior head-to-head history as the reasoning behind targeting FUT – a team they have beaten twice. HOTU’s David ‘n0rb3r7’ Danielyan admitted Astralis was not their first choice, noting The MongolZ would have been the pick had they still been available, and described Astralis as not in good shape. FOKUS went for MOUZ, with Erik ‘ztr’ Gustafsson noting he has now ticked off ash and GamerLegion – both former teammates – via elimination, leaving only Oldřich ‘PR’ Nový on his list.

Five members of the Ninjas in Pyjamas esports team posing with arms crossed in dramatic lighting
The Ninjas in Pyjamas CS2 roster posing for a promotional team portrait.

Full Stage 2 Schedule

July 25

July 26

Liquid, 100T, and the High-Stakes Draws

– Viktor ‘flashie’ Tamás Bea said the team anticipated MOUZ or Spirit being available, making G2 the live adjustment – Viktor ‘flashie’ Tamás Bea said the team had anticipated MOUZ or Spirit being available, making G2 the live adjustment. That confidence is worth tracking given Liquid’s roster situation heading into this event. Meanwhile, 100 Thieves drew Spirit as the final pick – the last available opponent – with Graham ‘messioso’ Pitt confirming on the broadcast that the matchup was precisely what the team expected.

G2 Esports team members celebrating on stage with a trophy at the Premier World Final in Singapore.
G2 Esports celebrates their victory at the Premier World Final in Singapore.

The Stage 2 slate follows a chaotic Stage 1 that already knocked out Falcons, Vitality, FURIA, and Aurora. 100 Thieves’ elimination of Falcons was one of the headline upsets, and the full Day 1 results set the table for the draft field that emerged. Eight teams now stand between the current bracket and a LAN finals ticket.

Source: HLTV – BLAST Bounty Stage 2 Live Draft

Tobias Ferrante
Tobias Ferrante

Since: June 2, 2026

Tobias Ferrante has been following competitive gaming since the early days of LAN tournaments, and his passion for esports eventually collided with a deep interest in betting markets and odds analysis. He approaches esports wagering with the mindset of a strategist rather than a gambler, breaking down team form, meta shifts, and roster changes to help readers make smarter, more informed decisions. His coverage spans titles including League of Legends, CS2, Valorant, and Dota 2.

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