IEM Dallas Quarter Finals Preview 2025: MongolZ vs Aurora, Falcons vs GamerLegion
Counter-Strike in North America is back, as the IEM Dallas Quarter Finals kick off on Friday. The MongolZ have a tough match ahead of them, while the Falcons need to survive a hungry underdog. If you’re looking to find an edge on the CS2 odds, let’s go over some insights to get you sorted.
The MongolZ vs Aurora: A Familiar Rivalry
The first Quarter Final matchup of IEM Dallas is a rematch fresh off last week’s PGL Astana clash, where Aurora managed to come out on top. Both teams are on similar boats, as they share a history of underwhelming Playoff performances, especially when playing in front of a live crowd. This is a significant factor, as the Dallas audience is notoriously loud.
The MongolZ came to Dallas to play, as they’ve shown flashes of brilliance throughout the Group Stage. They dismantled G2 and FURIA in clean games, but lost to Team Vitality in the seeding match – nothing to be ashamed of, especially when they pushed the best team in the world to a third map, narrowly losing 11-13 on Mirage.
Still, this pattern almost happens every time. The MongolZ display excellence in the Group Stage within the controlled environment of a studio, only to crumble once the pressure mounts in the Playoffs. Can they break that cycle this time around?
Aurora’s journey to Dallas was far from smooth – they arrived jetlagged, resulting in a sluggish start to the tournament. However, once they found their rhythm, the team went on a hot streak to win three matches in a row.
Their qualification victory over Heroic spoke volumes. They were demolished 3-13 on their opponent’s map pick, but bounced back with two clean games to complete the reverse sweep.
Though Aurora holds the recent head-to-head advantage, the CS2 betting markets suggest otherwise, given MongolZ’s current form. I’m leading toward a MongolZ victory this time. However, a safer betting angle might be the over 2.5 maps or Aurora to win their map pick. Aurora will likely pick Anubis – a map where MongolZ have struggled historically.
Falcons vs GamerLegion: Favorites Face Underdogs With Something to Prove
Falcons enter this Quarter Final series as the clear favorites, being one of the highest-ranked teams in the IEM Dallas power rankings. Meanwhile, GamerLegion arrives with a chip on their shoulder after missing out on the Austin Major, so they have everything to prove on the Dallas stage.
It’s undeniable that the Falcons have the pedigree and experience to thrive under pressure, especially with the Dallas crowd’s atmosphere. However, their recent form at this event has been less than perfect. They dropped a map to Heroic and suffered a 0-2 loss to MOUZ in the seeding rounds, highlighting some cracks.
They’ve been too dependent on two of the best CS2 players, m0NESY and NiKo, stepping up. While their roster remains dangerous, these shaky moments suggest they aren’t invincible.
On the other side, GamerLegion enters this matchup without their AWPer sl3nd, who couldn’t make the trip. Familiar face acoR has been brought in as a stand-in, who has delivered solid performances. Given sl3nd’s struggles in Astana, this could be a blessing in disguise.
Still, GamerLegion are a relatively inexperienced team, and stage pressure might be their undoing. They’re unlikely to pull off an upset, but they could make things interesting.
This series might be one to skip if you’re hunting for value – Falcons are heavy favorites, and GamerLegion’s inconsistency makes outcomes unpredictable. Though a clean sweep might be optimistic, I’m looking at taking GamerLegion + round handicaps as the smartest play, as I believe they should at least keep the maps competitive.
