The BLAST Premier kick-off event has concluded logically, so it's time to take stock of the tournament. Who were the big winners? Who were the favourites to fall through? Who will be worth watching at IEM Katowice? Answers to these questions are in the material from Cybersport.metaratings.ru.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022Results
The following teams have been selected for the BLAST Premier Spring Final: G2 Esports, Team Vitality, Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan, OG Esports, BIG.
The following will try their luck at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown: Astralis, Team Liquid, MIBR, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Evil Geniuses, Complexity.
Now we will talk more thoroughly about the five results of the past tournament.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022m0NESY surprised the world
Since the CIS region was represented only by Natus Vincere, the increased attention belonged to the G2 Esports team. The first appearance of Ilya m0NESY Osipov as the sniper of the tier-1 team caused genuine interest and excitement. The young cyberportsman repaid the spectators in full. G2, with their new roster, shows a nice Counter-Strike, where everything ceases to depend on the actions of Nikola NiKo Kovac. Aleksi Aleksib Virolainen is unfaithful, tactically savvy, with many grenades, and leads his team's game. But Ilya Osipov shines brightest of all. M0NESY did not hesitate against a formidable opponent in the person of Mathieu ZywOo Erbo, time after time winning duels on sniper rifles. G2 lost the meeting to Team Vitality, but Ilya was second only to NiKo statistically in his team. ZywOo, on the other hand, was twice ahead of him in AWP kills, 36 against 17.
We were pleased with the atmosphere on the team, with their experienced teammates supporting and admiring the young talent in every way. Let's see how the cyberportsmen from this organization will prove themselves in the matches with the elite of the world CS:GO in Katowice on LAN. On paper, G2 is on the list of top favourites.
Of course, a discussion about m0NESY's performance can't do without the highlighter that the young player made on the tournament's final day. A real presentation of probably the main sharpshooter of the coming years. The reaction of the partners and the coach gives you goosebumps.
"Brother, you can do the clutch" from Nemanja huNter Kovacs and "Let's take a time out" from Rémy XTQZZZ Quoniam are history.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022Natus Vincere is a LAN team
Once NaVi were defeated three times, many rushed to mock and declare the end of the organisation's era. Perhaps it was an underestimation of the opponent, somewhere it was a lack of concentration, but at the crucial moment, they did not leave a chance for their opponents (Team Liquid, NIP). Let's look at all three failures of Natus Vincere.
16-12 from MIBR and 19-17 from Astralis in the bo1 format on the second game day. The first result can be attributed to underestimating the Brazilians, complete complacency, and failure in the mapper. The meeting was held on the strongest map of MIBR - Dust II, where NaVi doesn't play that often. Astralis was strongly motivated in the course of the duel on Mirage and took all the clutches 1 in 3, 2 in 4, 3 in 5, which shows the athletes' lack of "focus." Natus Vincere handed the game to their rivals. NIP, for their part, gave away the game of a lifetime, where Hampus and Plopski scored scores that they could not repeat. NaVi quietly sent the Swedish organisation to rest in a lower-ranked tournament in the decisive match.
Again, problems and defeats caught up with the Born to Win in the online format, but we all know how the team will transform on LAN. Denis Sharipov, a key player of the team, has had a rough tournament. His performance determines the result, as proved by all NaVi triumphs last year. ElectroNic is one of the top 4 LAN players on the planet, and his entire impact will surely return to IEM Katowice. Natus Vincere is the main favourite of the upcoming LAN tournament! Don't take online competition results into account. This is Gambit Esports' territory.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022FaZe Clan aims for top 3
That the signing of Robin ropz Kool would take FaZe Clan to the next level was beyond doubt. The organisation finished in first place in the most intriguing group on the third day of play, before demolishing BIG in the final. The playing form of Finn Karrigan Andersen's IGL team still raises questions, but the pro-scene veteran comes to the rescue of the squad at crucial moments, helping to turn the outcome of the encounter around. The trio of top-20 HLTV (broky, twistzz, ropz) nightmare with their aggression, unmistakable shooting by the dash-1 team, but the key FaZe Clan player is not among them. Surprising as it may sound, another veteran, Håvard rain Nygaard, is in charge of the crucial action on every map. Rifler organizes and directs the course of FaZe's attacks. His not infrequent "fakes" alone allow his teammates to deploy to another part of the map, with ropz becoming the main lurker. The Estonian assumed the role of the second sniper, given the possibility of similar skills from Karrigan and Twistzz. FaZe has made some noise with one transfer and is shaping into a formidable force capable of winning major events.
A strong map pool, among other things, distinguishes the team from the competitors. If the team tweaks the mistakes on Ancient and Overpass, there won't be any weak maps. It showed a killer defence against the stalwartBIG on Nuke, winning 16-1. We hope that at IEM Katowice, spectators will get a chance to see NaVi in action on this map.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022Vitality doesn't let up
Many had anticipated that Team Vitality's new Danish-French roster would take a long time to adapt, but over the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, the squad could swap wins with FaZe and defeat G2 Esports in bo3. It is still difficult to establish communication in English between ZywOo and misutaaa, but when players act in tandem with their compatriots, they are unstoppable. Dan apEX Madesclaire's return to bootcamp after illness inspired Vitality to win the derby final against G2. The atmosphere in the team was transmitted through the screen, with the cyber athletes cheering each round zealously and hugging each other. Still, the idea of establishing, first and foremost, intra-corporate relationships among players is paying off; the results in the arena do not have to wait. Unfortunately, coach Danny Sorensen's mother died, and he could not share the success with his charges. Still, those more motivated for their mentor achieved the highest honours of the competition. Whether they will make it to the final in Poland, we will find out very soon.
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022The end of Astralis?
Despite the resounding victory over Natus Vincere in bo1, the famous Danish team showed an unimpressive and, in some ways, hopeless game. The CEO of the Astralis organization insisted that the current squad is the best of all, that they can win any trophy. He seems to be the only one to believe that now. Were it not for the individual actions of blameF and gla1ve. There would be no positive episodes left at all. Xyp9x can't find his game. K0nfig alternates one brilliant performance with 3-5 failures afterward. Lucky isn't the level of the tier-1 scene. Watching the hopelessness in the players' faces, strained smiles, and childish mistakes in combinations, remembering that we are facing the most titled organisation. Perhaps the reason for the failures is a weak coach, but if nothing is changed, the Danes will extend their series of failures. They don't look like a threatening force anymore. They can be beaten by absolutely anyone, as k23 and Entropiq have proven recently. The name and brand relevance are being lost, but the organisation has done nothing so far. Very soon, Astralis will take part in the Play-in stage of IEM Katowice, and I suspect it won't make it to the main part of the competition. Mikhail Blagin in the WePlay analytics studio called the team "dead" - the saddest result of BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2022.
This is how the first BLAST Premier tournament of the new year turned out. We are looking forward to IEM Katowice 2022!
Bet on IEM Katowice 2022