NAVI, FaZe and G2 in the fight for a million – start the decisive games BLAST 2023

A bit about the tournament itself

Alas, Moscow was left without a LAN tournament with the strongest teams in the world. In January we rejoicedthat top teams will return to the VTB Arena again, but the coronavirus decided otherwise. As a result, the competition was transferred online, and the teams were divided by region.

The decisive offline phase will still take place, but only in January 2023 — more than six months later. However, the expectation is worth it: the LAN winner will receive a million dollars (!), This was not the case at any WESG, not to mention majors or ELEAGUE.

At the BLAST Premier: Spring 2023 European finals, teams will play two quotas on the LAN, as well as an impressive prize pool of $ 500 thousand for eight teams. In America, the same proportions – $ 250 thousand for four trains.

Favorites

Europe

The composition of the participants in Europe is impressive, only Fnatic, mousesports (both, recall, did not receive an invitation to the league) and perhaps Astralis. Nominally “weakest” is Og, but she is one of the twenty strongest teams in the world in the HLTV.org ranking.

Natus vincere returned to the first line of the rating, but this was largely due to replacements in Astralis. Game of wards B1ad3 still unstable: in the group stage of DreamHack Masters, the team lost to ENCE and G2, and in the playoffs they could not cope with FaZe. Despite the misfires, the composition s1mple can impose a fight on anyone, and NAVI bookmakers have a favorite. Given the grid, the team can at least go to the final of the winners, and then compete for the victory.

Win rate: 5.00

Better than the rest of the European division in the spring proved to be Faze clan. It seems that leaving the online star cast only benefited. Even with olofmeister, the roster showed convincing results and did not become weaker after replacement. Bymas is not yet to say what is impressive: the FPL participant is sometimes lost on the cards. But do not forget: he is a protege Nikowho already found a place in the team broky, so Bymas is hardly lost in the end. But even if this happens – while he plays no worse than Kaibier, and, as we see, this is enough for FaZe.

Win rate: 6.30

Another Kovacs, but already the youngest, is now dragging G2 esports in first place rating. Who would have thought that the Balkans would save the French CS scene? Now the team makes everyone in a row, except maybe FaZe. The team confidently reached the finals of DreamHack Masters and has excellent chances to win the title. BLAST is unlikely to be otherwise.

Win rate: 5.25

At Team vitality everything is still: woke up Zywoo – the team began to play. In May, Vitality gained a very good shape, but in some matches it sometimes showed an awkward game. For example, on the European Showdown, the French were the only ones to lose the little-known sAw. However, the team can still beat everyone. In the very first match of the tournament, Vitality derby: the squad will find out with G2 which of them is the best in France.

Win rate: 5.25

The patient seems to be alive. ENCE Esports with Jamppi transformed beyond recognition. In June, the Finns won six out of six matches, with Astralis, Vitality, and mousesports in their opponents. There are no jokes about VAC ban, but it is the young Finn whom Valve has deprived of the contract with OG that makes half the result. No one will say if the return of the LAN will be the same, but online, ENCE is capable of a lot. And although the playoff grid turned out to be unfavorable to the Finns (went to FaZe Clan), they can still surprise.

Win rate: 7.50

North America

In America, the composition of the participants is two times smaller – only four teams. And guessing who wins is simply impossible. Participants in the local scene began to pass by the end of last year, and now they have no opportunity to play with the Europeans because of the coronavirus, because of this the average level of local groups has grown, but Team liquid and Evil geniuses lost their leading position on the world stage.

Surprisingly, the favorite in the local region is FURIA Esports, which is trying to repeat the feat of FalleN wards, the first of the Brazilians to declare themselves on the world stage CS: GO, winning two major. Why not? She definitely has a desire, and this is the most important thing.

Applicants

Europe

Complexity gaming I had to learn the experience of playing with European shooting-2 teams. Due to the coronavirus, the roster has almost entirely settled in Denmark. Only Bulgarian returned to his homeland poizon, who often has problems with the Internet, which is sometimes worth Complexity matches. Despite the big ambitions of the club’s CEO Jason Lake, the team at the “juggernaut” is not pulling. Yes, Complexity crushes rivals easier, but it often fails with rosters from the top 20. BlameF is arguably Denmark’s best captain after gla1ve at the moment, but now for his team, victory in a major tournament is a high jump.

Win rate: 10.50

Ninjas in pajamas did not get worse after replacement Lekr0 on the hampus. The Swedish team copes with many top teams, but is consistently inferior to the same FaZe Clan and Team Vitality. For the slot in the main stage of BLAST Premier they have to fight with Mad lionswho, with the arrival of AcilioN, began to beat teams from the top 5. Both teams have absolutely equal chances to reach the main stage, but to prove themselves there is a separate task.

The odds of winning one of the teams: 8.00

Og to the status of a top team is still very far away. Its results are extremely unpredictable: sometimes OG can give battle to the tops, but it is often inferior to slightly more played teams. It is unlikely that great achievements can be expected from Aleksib now.

Win rate: 11.50

North America

Just a year ago Team liquid was the best team in the world, and now is not included in the top 5. The last successful tournament was in April 2023: then nitr0 and the company won the local ESL Pro League. But already during Road to Rio, it became clear that the team will not be the leader of the region online. Liquid Championship finished in fourth place, it was ahead and Cloud9, and FURIA Esports, and Gen.G.

At the end of May, the duties of an inge leader took over Stewie2k, but this has not yet affected the results. The team continues to stagnate, and most likely, replacements in it can no longer be avoided.

Everything is complicated and Evil geniuses, but the latest team results are beginning to inspire optimism. If you missed: in early April, the coach changed in the team. To place Imapet came one of the most successful zews stage trainers. Perhaps, for resuscitation the team lacked just such a person: zews He knows how to work with American teams, which proved his experience in Liquid. Let’s see what the upcoming matches will show.

MIBR until she drowned completely. The team is no longer coldzeranor zews: with european tops Fallen competing is no longer possible, but in America the MIBR still shows something. However, the team does not even claim the status of top-1 even in Brazil: alas, two-time world champions have long passed FURIA.

However, do not forget that games in North America are now very unpredictable: any team can earn the coveted quota for a major LAN final.

First matches in North America:

• FURIA (1.40) vs MIBR (2.80) – June 17, 00:30 Moscow time;
• Liquid (1.55) vs Evil Geniuses (2.35) – June 18, 00:30 Moscow time.

Odds are taken from the site of the betting company Parimatch and are relevant at the time of publication of the material. After registration 100% first deposit bonus will be available.