Prediction for BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024. Who Will Top the Groups and Reach the Finals?
The group stage of the BLAST tournament is coming to an end, and today (August 3, 2024), we will find out which teams will top their groups and earn slots in the fall finals. The remaining two slots will be contested by the four teams that finish second in their groups.
Team Spirit vs Complexity
Objectively, this group turned out to be the weakest of all four, and Spirit should have no problems concluding their performance in this tournament on a high note. Complexity, after the break, are clearly not in their best shape and even managed to lose 0-2 to the HEROIC team with a substitute player. Although they managed to take revenge in the lower bracket, the Russian team will certainly be too much for them. The North Americans are weaker both individually and as a team, and it seems they will not return to their peak form from the spring of 2024.
The map veto is also completely in favor of Chopper’s team, as Complexity do not play Mirage, which is Spirit’s worst map. Anubis and Vertigo are the only maps where Complexity has a good win rate, but even there, their opponents have an advantage in victories over the past three months. Our prediction is an easy 2-0 for one of the best teams in the world at the moment, with both maps ending with a solid round advantage.
Vitality vs Astralis
Probably the most interesting final awaits us in Group B. Vitality untraditionally started the tournament with a nervous match against GamerLegion, where they had every chance of falling into the lower bracket. Almost losing the game in the overtime of the second map, they managed to cope with the unexpected pressure from the opponent and, after a successful outcome, left all worries behind. In the next match against Astralis, they came out on a completely different wave and managed to defeat the Danes 2-0, even with ZywOo not playing his best. The main star of Vitality finished the meeting with Astralis with an incredibly low KD of 1.06 for himself, which is a good sign for the rest of the team before today’s match. They expect a more stellar performance from the Frenchman, which should help make the victory even easier in the rematch.
Astralis, in turn, won both crucial matches against Falcons, which was their only success at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups. It is worth noting that the same maps were played in both cases, which is likely to be the case in the match against Vitality. The Danes will want to take revenge for the past defeat, and apEX and his team should be satisfied with such a pick since they have already defeated their opponents on these maps. We expect Dust2, Nuke, and Inferno. The main intrigue of the confrontation is whether the game will reach the decider, and we lean towards a positive answer. On this tournament, the dev1ce team has already played three matches on Dust2 and two on Nuke, which should add some confidence. Despite this, Vitality still remain the favorites with a 60% chance. Unlike the Group A final, there will be no easy walk for either team here.
G2 vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
Another rematch in the final, adding a sense of revenge to the match. Watching rematches is always interesting, especially when one of the teams is a clear underdog. However, is it that obvious? NIP made an incredible journey, defeating Cloud9 and FaZe Clan in the lower bracket, which absolutely no one expected. Both matches were very close, and the legendary tag is finally starting to show its familiar face. Another young talent from Eastern Europe, r1nkle, demonstrates bold and aggressive play with the AWP and becomes the team leader.
G2 has not faced serious problems in the tournament so far and is showing very good Counter-Strike, where everyone can take the game into their own hands. FaZe Clan managed to take only 12 rounds in two maps, and it was hard to imagine this on the first day of the transfer announcements. Apparently, the formed team fits perfectly with each other, allowing them to enjoy the game, or the honeymoon period is dragging on for the team. In today’s match, this does not matter at all, the current state of G2 should be enough to defeat NIP. Talking about a “confident victory” will be a bit risky, considering that in similar situations, Ninjas in Pyjamas managed to prove otherwise. Perhaps they will change the map pool relative to the first match and try to defeat the G2 guys on other maps. In any case, the G2 victory looks more obvious due to their good form, experience, and individual skill.
Team Liquid vs Natus Vincere
Liquid is undoubtedly the main revelation of this tournament. No one expected this team to reach the final, and everyone was anticipating the usual post-match interviews in the spirit of “there was little time to play together.” Fairly, there really was not much time, and Twistzz’s new role as captain raised many doubts. However, this did not prevent him from being an absolute leader on the server in both tactical and firepower terms. Victories over Virtus.pro and NAVI are just a fantastic result for this Liquid lineup, and crushing the champions of EWC and Copenhagen Major twice in the tournament will be a loud slap in the face to all the critics.
It is very difficult to positively assess the likelihood of this outcome because NAVI is uniquely able to learn from past defeats. Blade will prepare the team for this final, as now he will have at least some information about the opponent. By the way, the absence of official matches for Liquid was their trump card, as VP coach Xoma mentioned. NAVI should take their revenge and save themselves from an unnecessary match on August 4 for the last slot in the finals. It is impossible to determine the real form of the Aleksib team from the two victories over BIG, but Liquid also does not have everything rosy with individual play. YEKINDAR is still unstable, jks plays his roles but is still getting into the game, so Liquid’s success is definitely not based on good shooting. NAVI will win, we are 70% sure of it, and we do not believe in the Liquid fairy tale in their first tournament.