Steam's 'Trade Protection' combats CS2 scams; BLAST Bounty Season 2: $500,000 tournament with wagering system
Key Takeaways
- Steam's 'Trade Protection' holds CS2 trades for 7 days to prevent scams.
- BLAST Bounty Season 2 features $500,000 prize pool and wagering system from August 5-17.
- BLUEJAYS finalized their CS2 roster with the addition of laxiee on July 17, 2025.
- FURIA's basic unavailable for Stage 2 opener against Cloud9 due to visa issues.
Top Stories
Steam's 'Trade Protection' combats CS2 scams with 7-day hold.
Steam introduced 'Trade Protection' for CS2, holding traded items for 7 days to prevent scams, during which items cannot be modified or transferred. Users can reverse trades within 7 days if account control is lost, restricting trading for 30 days.
BLAST Bounty Season 2: $500,000 tournament with wagering system.
BLAST announced changes for Bounty Season 2, a $500,000 tournament running from August 5th to 17th, featuring a wagering system where teams can wager against each other for extra prize money.
BLUEJAYS finalizes CS2 roster with addition of laxiee.
On July 17, 2025, BLUEJAYS finalized their CS2 roster with the addition of Maks "laxiee" Andryei, completing the roster overhaul.
FURIA faces visa issues; basic unavailable for Stage 2 opener.
Due to visa issues, FURIA's basic, along with coaches shaW and Kamino, will be unavailable for their Stage 2 opening match against Cloud9, with adverso standing in for basic.
Community Buzz
VALORANT ranked experience feels worse, plagued by smurfs, MMR issues.
On July 16, 2025, it was reported that the VALORANT ranked experience feels worse than ever, particularly in Platinum and below, due to issues like smurfs and MMR/RR systems.
Event Horizon
Hero Esports announces $150,000 Asian Champions League (ACL) for CS2.
Hero Esports announced the second edition of the Asian Champions League (ACL) for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) in May 2026, featuring a $150,000 prize pool.
Pokémon World Championships 2025 in Anaheim features exclusive merch.
The 2025 Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, CA, from August 15-17, will feature exclusive Pokémon merch, including a SoCal Bodyboard for $79.99 USD.
Riot opens Ahri’s Spirit Blossom Onsen pop-up experience in Seoul.
On July 16, 2025, Riot Games opened Ahri’s Spirit Blossom Onsen pop-up experience in Seoul, inspired by the Spirit Blossom Onsen skin line for League of Legends, open until July 27.
Major Six 2025 - Main Event: VALORANT tournament in Taiwan, August 12-30.
The Major Six 2025 - Main Event, a VALORANT Esports tournament, is scheduled to take place in Taiwan from August 12th to August 30th, 2025, featuring 6 teams competing for NT$350,000.
Dust2.us provides live coverage of Fragadelphia 19, $35,000 LAN event.
Dust2.us is providing live coverage of Fragadelphia 19, a $35,000 LAN event in Canada, starting on July 17, 2025.
Game Updates
Warzone update nerfs TR2, DM-10, fixes bugs, increases loadout cost.
On July 16-17, 2025, Call of Duty: Warzone released an update nerfing the TR2 and DM-10 Marksman Rifles and addressing bugs, with loadout prices increasing to $20,000 in Resurgence Ranked Play.
Player Moves
Sonic discusses potential departure from Wildcard after FISSURE Playground.
On July 16, 2025, Sonic discussed his potential departure from Wildcard after the team's performance at FISSURE Playground 1, revealing he almost left in the offseason.
Streaming Scene
Streamers invest $600,000 in CS2 case opening, recover significantly less.
In July 2025, streamers like ohnePixel and TimTheTatman invested around $600,000 in a Counter-Strike 2 case opening event, but total earnings were significantly lower, with TimTheTatman recovering approximately $30,000.
Team Dynamics
GIANTX aims for Final Four in Superliga de LoL with Th3Antonio.
GIANTX is competing in the Superliga de League of Legends with Th3Antonio as assistant coach, aiming for the Final Four in Madrid.
LCK announces updated rosters for Rounds 3–4, July 23 to August 17.
The League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) announced updated rosters for Rounds 3–4 of the 2025 LCK, scheduled from July 23 to August 17, with several teams making coaching and player changes.
Tournament Triumphs
TNL qualifies for ESL Pro League Season 22 after qualifier win.
TNL qualified for ESL Pro League Season 22 by winning the Europe closed qualifier, boasting a 78% winrate over the last three months.
MIBR defeats Virtus.pro 2-0, eliminating them from FISSURE Playground.
On July 16, 2025, MIBR defeated Virtus.pro 2-0 at FISSURE Playground #1, eliminating VP, with brnz4n achieving 43 kills.
Exort Series #13 concludes: $10,000 Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Europe.
The Exort Series #13, an online Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Europe, concluded on July 16, 2025, featuring 28 teams competing for a $10,000 prize pool.
Winline Insight Season 7: $50,000 Counter-Strike 2 tournament ends July 22.
The Winline Insight Season 7, a Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Europe with a $50,000 prize pool, will end on July 22, 2025.
3DMAX defeats paiN 2-0 in FISSURE Playground 1.
On July 17, 2025, 3DMAX defeated paiN 2-0 in the FISSURE Playground 1, with a victory on Ancient and a comeback on Nuke.
Complexity secures playoff spot after long series against BIG.
Complexity secured a playoff spot after a long series against BIG, which ended close to 2 AM local time.