BLAST Premier World Final Kickoff 2023: Wins for C9, Vitality, FaZe & G2

Cloud9 secured a convincing 2-0 victory over ENCE in the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 Group A opener, earning a spot in the quarter-finals. Key to their success was strategic aggression, with Boombl4 dominating around Lane and Cave, and electroNic contributing with a remarkable 1.65 rating.

The first map, Ancient, saw Cloud9’s dominance, especially around Lane and Cave. The second map, Overpass, was closely contested, with Cloud9 benefiting from forcebuy and eco wins. electroNic’s impactful plays, including a crucial double in an eco win and a 4v5 retake, secured the victory. Cloud9 advances to the quarter-finals, facing the winner of Vitality vs. Natus Vincere, while ENCE must fight for survival against the loser of the same series.

Vitality remains undefeated with William “mezii” Merriman and Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam, securing a 2-0 victory against Natus Vincere in Abu Dhabi. mezii’s standout performance with a 1.35 rating marks their fifth consecutive series win since his addition to the roster. On Anubis, NAVI struggled against Vitality’s well-coordinated play, with Dan “apEX” Madesclaire humorously taunting their difficulties.

Vitality dominated Overpass, forcing frequent saves from NAVI and securing a 7-2 lead on the T side. mezii expressed newfound confidence, emphasizing that the team’s success aligns with his preferences. The win positions Vitality favorably for the group stage decider against Cloud9.

FaZe gets a win against Heroic

FaZe beat Heroic in their first game with newcomer frozen. Although David “frozen” Čerňanský’s debut began with a dominant start, it turned out to be more difficult than expected. The match against a Heroic team with three substitutes was tougher than expected, but there was plenty of laughter and banter between frozen and his former MOUZ teammates.

Frozen led off with an impressive 1v3 clutch on Overpass, which ensured FaZe got off to a strong start. The team dominated the first half and quickly won the opening map. On Ancient, FaZe prevented a third map in true style and won in overtime, with Håvard “rain” Nygaard’s 1v2 clutch securing the victory.

G2 emerged victorious in their debut match with Nemanja “⁠nexa⁠” Isaković, defeating MOUZ 2-0 (Ancient 13-10, Vertigo 13-11). Despite MOUZ’s struggles, especially in the second halves, G2 showcased their prowess with nexa in the lineup. The decision to replace jks with nexa received criticism, but the Serbian player performed solidly, demonstrating the versatility G2 sought.

NiKo’s individual performance has been a concern, posting a 1.06 rating and only 0.86 in the series against MOUZ. NiKo acknowledged the challenge but expressed dedication to improvement. G2 faces a tougher challenge against FaZe, the world No. 1 team, where they hope to rely on their star rifler.

The match on Ancient saw G2’s aggressive approach, led by Rasmus “⁠HooXi⁠” Nielsen, applying pressure on MOUZ. The Danish captain’s stellar performance contributed to G2’s success in the first map. MOUZ struggled on the T side, showcasing their lack of practice.

On Vertigo, MOUZ initially looked comfortable on the T side, securing an 8-2 lead with Kamil “⁠siuhy⁠” Szkaradek showcasing tactical prowess. However, MOUZ faced difficulties in the second half, losing crucial rounds, and nexa’s impactful plays for G2 led to their victory. The match concluded with G2 securing a 2-0 win in the World Final.

We’ll keep you up to date on the BLAST Premier games here at Fragster.com!