The Group Stage of the BLAST Premier: World Final has already produced a range of shocks, including an unexpected couple of early exits. Both Outsiders and Heroic have been eliminated from their respective groups. This means that neither of the two finalists of the recent IEM Rio Major will be in the Playoffs of the last major event of the shooter.
Anyway, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, OG, and Team Liquid left in this year’s contest will all be dreaming of lifting $1,000,000 in prize pools on Dec. 18. But who is left in the tournament and who are bookmakers favorites for the Grand Final. Here is everything you need to know.
Upsets All Around
Starting with the Group Stage of the Blast Premier: World Final, we saw some surprises in both groups. Among them are Heroic and Outsers, two finalists of IEM Rio 2022. And after they defied their odds from the https://ggbet10.com/en/ platform to reach the Grand Finals of the last Major, this showing at the World Final from both squads is certainly surprising.
Group A
The Liquid x Outsiders brawl. The first group started with Team Liquid’s surprising 2-1 victory against Outsiders. The CIS team was ahead in the game, but their risky pick of Anubis, the last map added to the competitive CS:GO map pool, ended up taking its toll on the team.
For Virtus.Pro, the way they have been eliminated from the event is an especially hard pill to swallow, nearly getting shut down by a squad that didn’t even make the IEM Major in Rio. Team Liquid, in turn, managed to secure the top-two finish in the Group Stage.
The FaZe x G2 game. FaZe beat a much improved G2 Esports 2-1 compared to their last appearances in IEM Rio Major and Fall Finals. However, G2 confirmed its presence in the Quarterfinals and eliminated Outsiders with a 2-0 in which it managed a 16-1 score in favor of the samurai.
Group B
The OG x Heroic game. Group B started with OG’s surprising 2-1 victory against Heroic. The former completely defeated Heroic attacks on defense to secure their first pick. The second up was in Heroic control, with the team closing 16-9. As for the final map, it was a constant back and forth that continued for two OTs.
Finally, OG upset Heroic with a great Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov. For the Norwegian organization, however, it is a very sad follow-up to a long-awaited LAN victory at the Fall Finals in front of their home crowd.
The NaVi x Vitality brawl. Team Vitality and Navi’s matchup was pretty one-sided. Both squads have been struggling in their respective ways, but in the opening game, Vitality broke through the NaVi’s defense and outclassed the Ukrainian team with a well-deserved 2-0 on the scoreboard.
With all this, the BLAST Premier: World Final semi-final matches begin on Dec. 17 with the following confrontations and schedules. Liquid, FaZe, OG, and G2 will try to secure the top seed. OG will face Team Liquid in an elimination game. Similarly, FaZe Clan will meet G2 Esports.
BLAST Premier: World Final Playoffs
The first semi-final match will feature an OG side who is looking to redeem themselves after flopping in IEM Rio Major against Team Liquid, who managed a top-four finish at the Fall Final 2022. Both squads defeated top-notch teams, Heroic, and Outsiders respectively, on their road to the Playoffs of the tournament.
On the other side of the bracket, FaZe Clan will take on G2. The North American organization is looking to finish this year strong after an early exit from the Major in Rio following their defeat to Bad News Eagles. G2 is also looking to redeem itself after missing the Major and only managing to finish 6th in the Fall Final.
The schedule for the Semifinals is as follows below (kick off times are all UTC):
OG vs Team Liquid | Dec. 17, 11:30 am
FaZe Clan vs G2 Esports | Dec. 17, 03:00 pm
Winner of the High Seeds vs Winner of the Low Seeds | Dec. 18, 10:00 am
As you can see from above, CS:GO betting has never been this interesting, especially with the squads that are so close in terms of motivation and strength. And that’s exactly what every bettor is thirsty for.
