by GamerLegion made a spectacular start at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, surprising everyone by defeating FaZe Clan in their opening series in Group B (13-11, 16-13).
Led by Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski, the Counter-Strike squad, despite being labelled as one of the weaker teams in the tournament, demonstrated their prowess and resilience.
Snax’s leadership, coupled with Sebastian “volt” Malo?’s standout performance, especially earning the Player of the Match title, showcased GamerLegion’s ability to adapt and overcome challenges.
GamerLegion dominated the early rounds on Overpass, not losing a single player, but faced a setback as FaZe took the lead at halftime.
However, a strong comeback on the CT side allowed GamerLegion to secure their pick in the final round of regulation.
The series then went to extra rounds on FaZe’s pick, with GamerLegion eventually securing the victory.
.@GAMERLEGION TAKE DOWN FAZE CLAN! ?? #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/VrLY6YKx4w
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) January 24, 2024
On the other side of the bracket, Liquid narrowly escaped elimination against Spirit in a closely contested series (16-14, 10-13, 13-10).
Despite struggling initially, Liquid managed to rally and secure the win, setting up a showdown against GamerLegion for a place in the group final.
Meanwhile, Spirit dropped to the lower bracket, where they would face the formidable FaZe Clan.
.@TeamLiquidCS survive the @Team__Spirit scare and secure the W today! ?#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/xrqYGTQske
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) January 24, 2024
In another match, Virtus.pro continued their consistent performance with a convincing 2-0 win over BIG in the upper bracket (13-5, 13-8).
Dzhami “?Jame?” Ali led his team through the game with relative ease, as they secured a dominant opening round victory to set up a mouth-watering matchup with fellow CIS rivals, Cloud9.
BIG’s challenging start to the year continued, and their coach, Fatih “gob b” Dayik, acknowledged the difficulty of facing Virtus.pro, citing their strong understanding of the game.
Victory for @virtuspro on their debut at the Spring Groups ?#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/5uHPTdeXtF
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) January 24, 2024
Cloud9 showcased their dominance by defeating Heroic 2-0 (13-5, 13-1), maintaining an undefeated record this year.
Abay “HObbit” Khassenov emphasized the importance of continuous improvement and chemistry within the team.
Cloud9 would now face Virtus.pro in a highly anticipated match, with HObbit acknowledging the unique challenges posed by Virtus.pro’s style.
Cutthroat from @C9CSGO tonight, in full control of the W from start to finish ?#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/L6rMjilNVt
— BLAST Premier ?? (@BLASTPremier) January 24, 2024
Thursday’s Spring Groups matches
- GamerLegion (+125) vs Team Liquid (-175.44) @ 12pm CET
- FaZe Clan (-1000) vs Team Spirit (+550) @ 2:30pm CET
- Virtus.pro (-138.89) vs Cloud9 (+100) @ 5pm CET
- Heroic (-138.89) vs BIG (+100) @ 7:30pm CET
