BLAST Spring Showdown team list is now complete

March 29, 2021 | 0 | 55| |

One of the biggest tournaments of Spring is coming soon and we finally have a full list of the teams taking part in it. All sixteen teams are in after the final qualifier ended with EXTRA SALT taking the last spot.

While the tournament has yet to start, though, it’s smart to take a brief look at every team taking part on the tournament. Let’s get a brief summary, as well as expectations for the squads competing for the $162,500 prize pool.

BLAST Premier Spring Showdown format and information

Before diving in on the teams, let’s first understand BLAST’s Spring Showdown format and some must-know information regarding the event.

First, the event will run from April 13^th to April 18^th. All matches in the tournament are best-of-three games, and the Showdown runs a single-elimination bracket. The two winners will advance to BLAST Spring Finals which will start in June.

Besides that, the first and second places also get $30,000 and 1250 points in the BLAST Premier Circuit. The teams that finish in 3^rd and 4^th will take $16,250 and 625 circuit points. The teams that finish in 5^th to 8^th will also get $10,000 plus 312.5 circuit points.

Now that we’re up with all basic details of the tournament, let’s see the teams taking part on it, sorted by region.

Favorites from Europe in the Spring Showdown

Europe will be the continent with most representants in the tournament. With that in mind, it’s clear that there are favorites and underdogs from the region.

As far as favorites goes, Astralis takes the spot. The Danish team isn’t looking quite strong as they once did, but they still are one of the best teams in the world. Without Na’Vi and Virtus.Pro competing here, they have great chances of taking first place.

Vitality comes as an interesting to watch here too. The Frenchmen have been struggling lately but they still have all pieces to make it work. ZywOo still is playing incredibly well, so it only depends on the rest of the team to build upon his performances.

G2, Heroic and OG are dangerous variables from the old continent

G2 has been a team full of promise that still haven’t reached their ceiling yet, not even close. After all, when it comes to individual skill sets, G2 is almost unmatchable thanks to the cousins “NiKo” and “huNter”.

Also dangerous is the current Heroic roster. The Danes are currently going through a seven-match winning streak, and at times in-game they seem simply unstoppable. Cadian managed to build a highly dynamic team that works well without a star player, striking a balance between all members of the roster.

Then we have OG. The European mix has one spot open in the roster as they went through a rebuilding phase recently. The BLAST Spring Showdown will be the first time we see the team after this process, so hopes are high. Albeit fans should be cautious still.

European underdogs

Holding the underdog position from Europe, the Spring Showdown will see SAW, Endpoint and Dignitas. These three teams are usually seen in second and third tier competitions, but can pack surprises in big tournaments.

Endpoint, especially, has given CSGO viewers plenty of great action to see lately. During EPL Season 13, Endpoint managed to take Evil Geniuses, and while they lost against Liquid, VP and Astralis, they still held themselves high. No one should sleep on Endpoint.

As for Dignitas, the squad is composed of two fan favorites from Sweden along with some promising youngsters. However, Dignitas haven’t impressed in their latest games. It’s good to see legendary player “f0rest” playing, but they won’t be reaching high places at the Spring Showdown.

Coming last, we have SAW. The Portuguese squad hasn’t faced the level of competition they will see here in a long time. They have a decent record overall in their comfort zone, but what can they do among the best in the world?

North American dream

The current situation within the North American Counter-Strike scene could be better. With organizations and key players leaving the game as they move to VALORANT, North America has seen better days.

Still, two teams are carrying the torch for their continent in the Spring Showdown. Team Liquid and EXTRA SALT are the two teams hoping to place high and represent well their region here.

Team Liquid has been playing fairly well as of lately. Since adding “FalleN”, Liquid seems to be working consistently better, although results could still improve. The team managed to get back at the top five best teams in the world rankings, and they can keep building momentum in the Spring Showdown.

EXTRA SALT, in the other hand, isn’t quite well-placed in the world rankings as Liquid, and they haven’t faced the same level of competition. Still, during March the team played fourteen matches and only lost one. They definitely are one underdog to be aware of.

Unpredictability from South America

South America will have three teams representing the region in the Spring Showdown. Besides FURIA, fans will also be watching MiBR and 9Z, which qualified from the Spring Groups and Latin Power Cup, respectively.

FURIA is currently in a slump and while fans hope to see them out of it sooner than later, they still seem to be struggling. After adding “junior”, the team clearly needs to rework much of their structure, and make it work.

MiBR hasn’t been the premier team the brand hoped it could become, but they are still dangerous. As shown in their past matches, “boltz” and his squad are able to pressure some of the best teams in the world, and underestimating them can be a dangerous mistake.

Now, 9Z is a real mystery here. The Latin American team has a very interesting mix of Argentinian, Uruguayan and one Brazilian player. While they aren’t used to play in international competitions, teams like 9Z are known for being able to catch favorites by surprise.

CIS and Asia come with real contenders

We’ve discussed the current potential of Eastern European rosters in the past, and once again they are a real threat. In the Spring Showdown, teams are going closely watch Gambit and Team Spirit. We also have NASR, an Asian team that could be very dangerous as well.

Gambit is coming hot off their trophy win at IEM Katowice 2021 and excellent performance at EPL Season 13. Astralis and Liquid are their biggest challenges, but they have shown once that not even the best can consistently stop them. Expect great things from Gambit here.

Spirit hasn’t reached quite the same success as Gambit, but underestimating them is the biggest mistake any team in the Spring Showdown can do. They recently went through an impressive winning streak and they certainly aim to start another one.

As for NASR, this is their first major international event. They managed to confidently take an interesting mix of opponents to qualify to the Spring Showdown, and while there’s much unknown about them, this could help them upset some of the biggest teams here.

The Spring Showdown will kick off soon

Be ready because the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown kicks off in less than 15 days. Once it’s on, expect some of the best matches of the year so far and heated games as rivalries sprout on.

In order to keep up with everything and get precise predictions for the event, make sure to keep up with us!

€250 BONUS!

CODE : EBTIPS

MJunior

The author

My name is Marcos, I have been following the CSGO pro scene since 2015 but really got into in following games and pro teams in 2016. Used to bet a lot, stopped a bit but never stopped following the esports scene. I'm a student right now so I got a lot of time to keep with it and discover new things.