Results of BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024: A New Era for Team Spirit?
The last major event of the first CS2 season concluded on June 16 in London. Team Spirit emerged as champions, defeating NAVI 3-1 in the grand final. We will return to this match later, but for now, let’s start from the beginning.
SAW Squander Their Opportunity
SAW were initially considered the weakest team, and this assessment proved accurate. Simply qualifying for such a high-level tournament in the UK was a significant achievement for them. Their peak form seemed to occur in February/March 2024 during the BLAST Spring Finals qualifiers. The Portuguese team qualified for the Major and surprisingly secured a spot in this tournament alongside Team Spirit. However, they failed to achieve any notable victories afterward, and in London, they were only remembered for a comeback they gave away against FaZe, losing a 2:10 lead. They had a chance to establish themselves as a tier-1.5 team but, unfortunately, remain a solid tier-2 team.
G2 Enters the Transfer Market
As for G2, after their triumph at IEM Dallas with Stewie2k, the team had to perform with a substitute again. This time, their star player, m0NESY, couldn’t attend due to visa issues, missing the crucial first game. The legendary Polish player TaZ, who replaced him, performed on par with HooXi and nexa. G2 managed to win one map against the future champions Team Spirit in the first round, but in the third-place match, they faced Vitality. The young sniper arrived just ten minutes before the match, unable to warm up and only managed to perform well on the second map. Nexa and HooXi finished the series with ratings of 0.69 and 0.54, respectively, far below the organization’s expectations. Rumors of replacements quickly spread, likely involving both players. Names like malbsMd from m80 have already surfaced, indicating G2 will be one of the most talked-about teams in the off-season. The roster was believed in for six months, relying heavily on m0NESY, with the Kovac brothers also finding good form towards the end of the season. It’s possible NiKo might take the IGL role, but this would be more of a necessity than a desire.
FaZe Clan Looks Forward to a Break
Karrigan’s team had a successful but exhausting season. Before the last tournament, they decided to take a break from gaming and just spend time together. While younger players can afford this type of preparation without losing much skill, the aging captain’s performance suffered. The short tournament format didn’t allow for form recovery between games. The bracket allowed for playoff qualification with one win, which they secured against SAW. NAVI and Vitality proved too tough, and a fatigued FaZe deservedly headed for a break. No roster changes are expected, and they will likely continue to reach many finals next year.
Astralis Has a Lot of Work Ahead
It seems the team was lucky to reach the playoffs, needing only to beat an obvious underdog. They couldn’t compete against NAVI or VP, mostly winning rounds through pistol rounds. The Danes started well against Natus Vincere but couldn’t maintain their lead. In the quarterfinals against Virtus.pro, they looked lost and failed to show anything remarkable. The team has a lot of work to do, as it’s unclear what style of CS they want to play, their best map, or how they can win tournaments. They might not have fully recovered from Abu Dhabi, where The MongolZ outgunned them.
Virtus.pro – The New Cloud9?
Currently, Virtus.pro is the most unpredictable team in the tier-1 scene. Their individual player skill is incredibly high, with each player capable of carrying a match solo. Jame’s team currently relies on these solo performances, as there wasn’t enough time to integrate electroNic into their structure. It’s unclear how this team managed to beat Vitality and then put up a toothless performance against NAVI in the same tournament. Their new coach will start soon, and the team will begin working more effectively. Unlike Cloud9, this team has players in their correct roles, and they’ve had less than a week for full preparation over the past two months.
Vitality Needs apEX to Calm Down
The second semifinalist started with an unexpected loss to VP, then showed an unconvincing performance against G2 but excelled in the playoffs. On stage, Vitality seemed like a different team, largely thanks to their emotional captain, apEX. His energy boosts his otherwise less emotional teammates. The home crowd also supported their compatriot mezii, but the home magic lasted only one series. Against Team Spirit, they had every chance, but it seemed apEX’s emotions negatively impacted some players, leading to mistakes in simple situations. Overall, Vitality was enjoyable to watch and seemed like the only team that could have stopped Team Spirit.
NAVI Maximizes Their Luck
How this roster continues to reach high tournament placements remains a mystery. At some point, they start winning rounds, reach 13, and move on to the next map. The bracket was also relatively easy – not the strongest Astralis in the first match, exhausted FaZe, and straight to the semifinals. There, they faced VP without a clear game plan, who crumbled against Blade’s structure. In NAVI’s case, the coach is more than half the team, positioning players on the map and giving them necessary action patterns. However, it’s easy to prepare for such a team if well-organized, which only happened in the grand final.
Team Spirit – The Most Balanced Team
Few doubted this team’s victory in the grand final, especially after their performance against Vitality. The tournament’s final took place in that match, and against NAVI, no one doubted Team Spirit’s victory. The team looks excellent, and BLAST proved it once again. In London, every player performed well, and when all five players consistently deliver, losing is almost impossible. Looking ahead, it’s hard to talk about dominance or a new era, even after potentially reaching HLTV’s top-1 ranking for the season. Teams are taking a break, and everyone will have time to rest and prepare for the new season.
BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024 was a great conclusion to the first CS2 season. The only top team missing was MOUZ, which would have made the participant lineup even more impressive. Teams were far from perfect form, making Team Spirit’s victory even more deserved as they took a long break after the Major. The slot for BLAST Premier: World Final 2024 wasn’t contested since both NAVI and Spirit are already invited to BLAST’s main event of 2024 for $1,000,000.