BLAST World Final 2021 Power Rankings

The tournament with the sweetest cream is merely a few days away now! Only a Major can beat the grand World Final event. The greatest teams in the world right now are ready to face each other off and win the final S-Tier tournament of this historic year.

With NaVi pushing to establish an era, Vitality and Liquid fighting till their last breaths, to Astralis creating a new generation, this event is full of spicy storylines that could not be missed. Here is our pre-event power ranking for the ultimate face-off of 2021.

8. NiP

After reaching sky high rankings prior to the Major, the Swedish squad have, in a way, flopped. Not only was the Major a dissatisfying taste for the NiP fans, but their Fall Finals performance was downright atrocious, as they were the first team to quit the tournament. IEM Winter was a better affair, but with the home crowd advantage being lost in the World Finals, it’s highly likely that they will again be one of the first teams to be disqualified. But with es3tag being newly introduced in the squad, 2022 is bound to be a high year for the Swedes.

7. Team Liquid

A team that is literally filled with superstar names, it’s a shame where the current squad finds themselves. No team in this list is as disrupted as the NA squad. They are about to disband after this tournament, and this is truly the end of a legendary squad. It’s only logical to place them at 8th, but my gut asks me to factor in the fact that this team will be playing with zero pressure. Liquid is an evaporating team with nothing to lose, and for that single reason, I put them above NiP. May the Americans shine in their last dance.

6. G2

G2 is definitely a high-flying team, having reached the Grand Finals of the Major and IEM Cologne. But for all the strength they had, they might be slowing down a little now. With the exit of their IGL, nexa, the re-introduction of veteran AWPer kennyS, and a new coach in place, G2 are at a tough spot right now. They did connect splendidly in the IEM Winter, but I make a bold prediction that they will not perform as well in the World Finals. kennyS’ entry may be temporary, as talks with prodigal AWPer m0NESY run rampant. If that’s the case, I hope I’m wrong in this prediction and shall kennyS smile and make us smile again.

5. Astralis

The legendary team saw a myriad of changes after the Major. Three new additions later, the previously uninspired squad of old achievers are now shining brightly. k0nfig and blameF have given this team a new breadth, and the IGL in blameF is being mentored by the lord gla1ve himself. Lucky has found a new rifling role, and he has absolutely nailed it in recent weeks. The new five may be inexperienced, but on their day, the Danish stars are more than equipped to take down any team in the world.

4. Gambit

The young crop of Russians have been NaVi’s true challenge, and their true motivation this year. After defeating them consistently in the earlier part of the year, they started losing against them, as the Ukrainians rose to unimaginable heights. Since then, they have dropped off a little. Their LAN performances haven’t been as good, but the young guns have much more experience now, which puts them at a very scary spot. The World Number 4 is still one to be feared from.

3. Heroic

The Danish squad will be playing on home soil, just like in the Fall Finals. Though they may not be as loved as Astralis, the leader in cadiaN surely knows how to tilt situations in his favour. Heroic has been another super strong squad, taking one map away from the mighty Ukrainians in the Fall Finals. They put up an extraordinary fight at the Major, almost defeating G2 and reaching the Major Finals themselves. They have proved to the world that this squad are more than just “onliners.” The World Number 5 will be itching to give one last shot at winning their second S-Tier trophy of the year, having won EPL S13 in April.

2. Vitality

Despite being drenched in a sea of rumours and whispers, Vitality has risen above these talks. They have proven on the server that they may be dying, but not without a hard fight. The presence of the Chosen One, zywOo, automatically puts Vitality as a favourite against any team they play, except s1mple’s NaVi. They have been the only team to consistently win maps against the mighty Ukrainians.If there’s one team that can defeat NaVi right now, it’s zywOo’s Vitality.

1. NaVi

Do I even explain? This squad created history in this year’s Major by winning every single map they played on. Not even fnatic or Astralis managed that. Winning the Intel Grand Slam was the cake, with the Major a mere cherry. The 24-year-old s1mple has never been this strong, and with the likes of b1t and electronic, NaVI is undoubtedly the clear favourite to win the tournament, after winning the Fall Finals last month. NaVi did show some weaknesses, as their 20-map win streak on Nuke was humiliatingly broken by Vitality in the Grand Finals of the Fall Finals. Maybe there is some hope after all?

 

 

 

Header: BLAST|Jak Howard