Group C of BLAST Premier Fall Groups is about to begin. This group features two formidable teams and two teams that are currently in the process of rebuilding their world-class rosters.
For the next three days, we will have the opportunity to watch some truly spectacular matches. The group starts with two upper bracket disputes. One between FaZe Clan and Cloud9, and the other between G2 Esports and NIP.
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan had a very dominant run in the first four months of 2024, finishing 2nd at IEM Katowice and PGL Major Copenhagen and then winning IEM Chengdu. But at their last four tournaments, they finished 5th – 8th.
Clearly, they are no longer the team that was winning trophy after trophy in 2022 and 2023. That doesn’t mean, however, that they cannot win this group at BLAST Premier Fall Groups. They’re currently ranked 6th globally and have everything they need to be successful.
Cloud9
Cloud9 are not in the top 30 at the moment but they might soon reclaim their spot. Their roster is composed of Boombl4 (IGL), groove (coach), and Ax1Le, as well as three new players: HeavyGod, ICY, and interz.
We don’t yet know whether these players have what it takes to be successful together but we do know that Boombl4 is highly skilled. When you have a good IGL, everything becomes easier.
At this event, C9’s chances of finishing in the top six are not great. But they might cause a few upsets or at least give the favorites a run for their money.
G2 Esports
Guatemala’s flag bearer in the first Esports Olympics 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z3XREOHgm7
— G2 CS (@G2CSGO) July 27, 2024
G2 is the strongest team in this group and should easily win it, unless FaZe Clan play much better than usual. The roster has been improved significantly in the past few months. Nexa and HooXi have been replaced by malbsMd and Snax. These two players seem more capable than the ones who left.
In the case of malbsMd, he might be a super talent who was overlooked by most of the other organizations. We still need to wait a few more months to get the final confirmation but his performance at the Esports World Cup was excellent.
NIP
Ninjas in Pyjamas also have a lot of new players. The team’s global rank is currently 17th but we could soon see NIP in the top 10. The Swedish core is now reestablished. We have REZ, maxster, and isak. The coach, Xizt, is also a Swede.
Alex and r1nkle complete the roster and we saw the potential of this team at YaLLa Compass, less than two months ago. NIP finished that tournament in 2nd place. They also finished 3rd – 4th at FiReLEAGUE Global Final.
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