BLAST Premier World Final 2024: Best storylines
As someone who has been following CS:GO for years and witnessed the rise and fall of many teams, I can confidently say that the BLAST Premier World Final promises to be an exciting event, especially for teams like MOUZ and Astralis.
There are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on during the BLAST Premier World Final.
The eagerly-anticipated $1 million CS:GO competition, the BLAST Premier World Final, is set to commence, with several captivating narratives unfolding.
At the BLAST Premier World Final, we have seven of the top ten teams globally participating (Natus Vincere, G2, Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, FaZe Clan, and Team Liquid), along with Astralis who are striving to enhance their performance under the leadership of Casper “cadiaN” Møller.
The competition offers a remarkable chance for certain teams to break free from their losing streak, while simultaneously providing an excellent platform for teams like NAVI to seize victory and collect yet another trophy in their collection.
Here are the best storylines that could come true at the BLAST Premier World Final.
Best storylines to follow in the BLAST Premier World Final
Can FaZe turn things around?
2023 saw FaZe off to an extraordinary beginning in CS2, with consecutive victories at IEM Sydney, Thunderpick World Championship, and CS Asia Championships.
Despite the departure of Russell “Twistzz” Van Dunkel from their team prior to the 2024 season, it appeared that nothing could hinder their success, as they consistently performed well with David “frozen” Čerňanský on board instead.
For a span of approximately ten months, from the tail-end of 2023 to the beginning of 2024, FaZe Clan reached a total of eight consecutive grand finals. However, they only managed to secure victory at IEM Chengdu in April, while losing all other finals that followed the CS Asia Championships.
Starting with IEM Chengdu, FaZe Clan started experiencing a downturn and failed to make it to any more grand finals. Instead, they found themselves being eliminated early in playoffs or not advancing past the group stage, as seen in ESL Pro League season 20 and most recently at IEM Rio.
Possible reasons for FaZe’s downturn might include conflicts within the team, particularly between Clash and Ropz, and a hectic schedule that didn’t allow them much time to rectify errors and develop new strategies, as they moved swiftly from one tournament to another.
Prior to the calamity during the IEM Rio tournament, FaZe Clan demonstrated improved performance at the BLAST Premier Fall Final, narrowly missing out on reaching the finals. Therefore, it’s possible they could recreate some of their magical form for the World Final in Singapore.
Without a doubt, should FaZe fail to produce winning performances at both the BLAST Premier World Final and the Perfect World Major, changes are inevitable.
Will Liquid finally step up to the task?
As the season winds down, Liquid hasn’t managed to give an outstanding show yet. They certainly made strides following the signings of Justin “jks” Savage and Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak during the off-season, but it hasn’t been enough for a strong playoff push.
Under the guidance of Twistzz, Liquid achieved their most significant victory by defeating Spirit at the BLAST Premier Fall Final in September. Yet, during tournaments where they qualified for the playoffs, they never advanced past the quarterfinals. Is this the peak of Liquid’s performance, or do they have potential to improve further?
For quite some time now, supporters have been advocating for the replacement of YEKINDAR due to his persistent below-par performance as a member of Team Liquid. During the BLAST Premier World Final, he’ll once again be under scrutiny. If Team Liquid doesn’t deliver, the crescendo of criticism is likely to grow even louder.
If Liquid or any other team participating in the BLAST Premier World Final fails to advance to the playoffs after playing just one of their two group stage matches, it would mean a catastrophic outcome for them.
MOUZ and their big stage syndrome
As a devoted fan, I can confidently say that Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek and Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen have been instrumental in making MOUZ a consistently dominant force within CS2. The tireless efforts of this organization to cultivate young talents has truly borne fruit, transforming these budding stars into household names.
Despite MOUZ clinching victories in ESL Pro League season 19 and the inaugural BetBoom Dacha Belgrade this year, there remains an ongoing issue: they have yet to triumph in a tournament with a large live audience.
Despite performing exceptionally well in their studio setting, the team struggles to deliver their best performance on larger stages like arenas and major events such as IEM Chengdu, IEM Cologne, and IEM Rio this year. MOUZ had ample opportunities to overcome their stage fright, but unfortunately, they ended up either in the semifinals or finals of these tournaments.
It’s clear that since the average age of MOUZ’s players is just 21.1, they might find it challenging in large arenas and competitive settings due to the added stress from the crowd. But, overcoming this challenge is crucial if MOUZ aspires to become the uncontested top team globally.
At the BLAST Premier World Final, a fantastic chance arises with the anticipation of around 10,000 to 14,000 spectators over the weekend. Notably, many of these fans are likely to be impartial since no Asian teams will be participating in the tournament.
Winning at the BLAST Premier World Final presents an ideal situation for MOUZ, offering them a chance to triumph before a large audience. This victory could boost their confidence significantly, should they manage to qualify for the RMR (Regional Major Ranking) and the Major itself.
Will Astralis show some progress?
For supporters of Astralis, it’s been quite challenging. After their golden period from 2017 to 2019, the team has seen a significant decline and hasn’t managed to win a major tournament offline since the BLAST Pro Series Global Final at the end of 2019.
2021 saw Astralis consistently excelling under the guidance of their captain, Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, as they reached four consecutive semifinals from April to June. Yet, contrary to their apparent success, the team decided to replace Alexander “br0” Bro with cadiaN instead.
Despite just one fresh addition, the entry of cadiaN has significantly altered Astralis’ playstyle because he brings a unique approach as an in-game leader compared to dev1ce. Unfortunately, dev1ce seems to be facing some challenges adapting to cadiaN’s system so far.
As a dedicated Astralis fan, I can’t help but hope for improved performances from the team at the BLAST Premier World Final. Though it might be premature to criticize cadiaN at this stage, we certainly anticipate more successful outcomes given that they’ve had ample time to refocus and practice since the disappointing showing at IEM Rio.
Let’s find out if cadiaN can bring out dev1ce’s hidden abilities using his unique approach to gameplay, which was highly effective during HEROIC’s heyday, and rekindle fans’ optimism that brighter times are just around the corner.
NAVI look to capitalize in the BLAST Premier World Final to build an era
After NAVI triumphed at the PGL Copenhagen Major in March, many CS:2 enthusiasts dismissed their victory as a lucky fluke. However, subsequent events have demonstrated otherwise. Under the guidance of Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, NAVI went on to clinch the EWC, ESL Pro League season 20, and IEM Rio in the ensuing months, along with three runner-up campaigns.
It’s evident that NAVI currently holds the top spot in the global CS2 scene, with G2, Vitality, MOUZ, and Spirit closely following. If NAVI continues to outperform these teams, it might be time for us to refer to this era of CS as the “NAVI dominion.
In a different phrasing: The performance of NAVI isn’t matching up with other teams in the competition. It seems as though any top 10 team could potentially win an event if conditions align, yet NAVI is demonstrating that they are the toughest to defeat among them all.
Compared to past competitions, NAVI’s route to triumph at the BLAST Premier World Final might appear less challenging due to a key rival, Vitality, fielding Audric “JACKZ” Jug as a stand-in for William “meziii” Merriman. However, it remains to be seen if they can achieve another victory before the Major.
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2024-10-29 19:11