BLAST Premier: World Final Group A Winners and Losers
The BLAST Premier: World Final is upon us. Starting 30th October, 8 teams in groups of four will take on each other in order to secure a Playoffs spot in the BLAST Premier: World Final.
The two groups will play a double-elimination bracket and after the conclusion of the Group Stage action, 2 of the 8 playing teams will be eliminated. Moreover, the winner of each group skips the Quarterfinal and will await the winner of the opening playoff games in the Semifinals.
The first of the two groups, Group A features Natus Vincere, MOUZ, FaZe Clan and Astralis. Let’s go over what this group has in store for us.
BLAST Premier: World Final Group A Opening Games Preview
As mentioned before, each group will play a double-elimination bracket, with three teams going through to the Playoffs. The opening games will decide the fixtures for the elimination game and the Winner’s match.
Natus Vincere vs. Astralis:
Natus Vincere are currently one of the best if not the best Counter-Strike roster around. Hot off their IEM Rio 2024 trophy, the international squad is the safest bet to win the BLAST Premier: World Final.
Their opponents, Astralis, have been struggling to find their footing under their new IGL. The squad, albeit strong on paper, struggles to put up a fight against top tier rosters. The roster does have potential and BLAST Premier: World Final is likely their best chance to put on a show and display their prowess.
Unfortunately, the game will be a trial by fire for Astralis. NAVI will have all the momentum and are no doubt the favorites to win. If Astralis somehow manage to upset the top contenders, it’d be fair to say, the team is ready to take on Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: EU RMR B.
FaZe Clan vs. MOUZ:
The initial overlords of Counter-Strike 2, FaZe Clan, are having a rough time on the server. Since their win at IEM Chengdu 2024, FaZe hasn’t cracked the top 3. While the squad does put up a fight more often than not, they struggle to close out the series and haven’t looked like their 2023 versions in a while.
MOUZ are no doubt the best challengers to Counter-Strike’s top dogs at the moment. The rag-tag team of upcomers led by Siuhy have been knocking down the doors of many tournament favorites throughout the year.
While they do struggle with inconsistencies, the squad recently took down elite competition to reach the finals of IEM Rio 2024.
Coming into the game, MOUZ is likely to secure the IEM Rio 2024 Grand Finals rematch. They look much better than their competitors. But FaZe Clan cannot be underestimated, while Frozen, RopZ and RaiN might be having tough times on the server, they have always come back and can always do damage.
BLAST Premier: World Final Group A Winners and Losers
Looking at the current forms and the overall structure of the bracket, Natus Vincere looks like the best bet to win the Group A and secure Semifinals.
MOUZ have the second strongest chance of winning the group, but they have to play their best to take down a red hot Natus Vincere in the IEM Rio 2024 Finals rematch.
FaZe Clan aren’t the worst team of the group, but they certainly don’t seem like the best. They have struggled but can easily qualify for the Playoffs over Astralis.
Picking Astralis as the eliminated team from the group is definitely a low-hanging fruit. Unless the team has miraculously turned around their faith, they will have the hardest time in the group and will likely be eliminated.
The BLAST Premier: World Final action starts 30th October. Check our guide for all the information on the tournament.
Follow BLAST Premier for latest updates on the action. Stay tuned on Strafe for everything Counter-Strike.
Featured Image Credits: BLAST Premier
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