100 Thieves shock world with upset elimination of Falcons at BLAST Bounty

<p>World No. 60 100 Thieves stunned reigning IEM Cologne Major champions Team Falcons on Day 2 of BLAST Bounty Season 2's online stage on July 22, eliminating the World No. 2 side in one of the summer's biggest upsets.</p><h3>The upset</h3><p>Falcons entered as the tournament's top seed after skipping PGL Masters Bucharest to focus on this event. Their preparation apparently didn't translate, as 100 Thieves — a North American side that has been mounting a comeback through the year — took the series in a competitive final map.</p><h3>Individual performances</h3><p>The 100 Thieves win was built on individually strong contributions across all five spots rather than a single dominant carry. Their T-side execution on the decisive maps caught Falcons off guard, exploiting rotation timings.</p><h3>Falcons out early</h3><p>The elimination is Falcons' worst tier-one result since their Major-winning run in June. Skipping the Bucharest invite to prioritize preparation for BLAST Bounty S2 — only to exit on Day 2 — will fuel questions about the strategic decision. Community discourse pointed to a scheduling philosophy that may need reassessment.</p><h3>100 Thieves' Cinderella run continues</h3><p>The 100 Thieves upset run continued through the bracket. They eventually met Spirit in a decider that ran to a Dust2 map — where they were on the receiving end of a historic 13-0 scoreline courtesy of a 2.84-rated donk performance. But the memory of the Falcons upset earlier in the event will endure regardless.</p><h3>Big-picture</h3><p>The result is a reminder that even in an era of consolidated Tier-1 CS, upsets are still very possible. BLAST Bounty's format — where lower-ranked teams get direct bounty rewards for taking down higher-ranked opponents — created the exact scenario the format was designed to enable.</p>

Sources

• https://www.hltv.org/news/45188/284-rated-donk-dust2-decider-fires-spirit-to-13-...
• https://blast.tv/cs/news/blast-bounty-season-2-ro16-recap...