Teams And Players To Watch Out For At BLAST
Teams such as NAVI, FURIA, and Complexity have made a lot of changes leading up to the BLAST Premier Global Final. Some players have become permanent additions while others are just potential pickups. World-renowned AWPers Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev and Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut have even renewed contracts with their teams, meaning they’re ready to compete.
As for Complexity, Justin "jks" Savage is still settling in with his new team while Jakob "JUGi" Hansen will act as a stand-in. FURIA Esports will finally receive a chance to test out their latest pickup Lucas "honda" Honda who seems like a risky yet exciting roster choice. Now that Astralis is back to their original roster, Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth can now proceed with his skillset as an IGL.
AWPER VS AWPER
The Ukrainian talent s1mple has followed through with his fifth year alongside NAVI as a lead AWPer. His passion for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) often sets him apart from the competition, meaning he’ll be an unstoppable force at BLAST. Last year he continued to pull out some exciting plays and consistent tournament results.
He played in four different tournaments hosted by BLAST which varied in results. NAVI beat out Complexity in the Spring Showdown but fell short to Team Vitality in the European finals. Maybe ZywOo is becoming a bigger threat then s1mple ever expected. Based on his loyalty and strive to succeed, s1mple is clearly a must-watch player.
Speaking of AWPers, ZywOo will be making an appearance in the BLAST finals following back to back titles in 2020. Vitality won two different BLAST events and placed second at the Spring Finals. ZywOo is considered number one for a reason which is why all eyes will be on him in the following week.
He’s managed to perform at an out of this world rate and plans on taking over the competitive scene for many years to come. Based on previous results, ZywOo’s biggest opponents at BLAST will most likely include Complexity and NAVI. It seems like even the best player in the game has some homework leading up to the six-figure event.
COMPLICATIONS WITH ASTRALIS
After a well earned vacation away from competing, Xyp9x has finally made his way back into playing with Astralis. While JUGi kept his seat warm, Xyp9x was preparing for a mind-boggling season. A year full of action-packed events such as the BLAST Global Final which contains some of the best teams in the world.
Even though Xyp9x has weakened during his first month with Astralis, he’s finally back on his feet. Europe’s best IGL is finally back and prepared to dominate with his teammates. He won two S-Tier events in 2020 and is now looking to start this year off with a bang.
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JUGI IS BACK
Ex-Astralis stand-in by the name of JUGi will finally receive another chance to compete with the best. He played with Astralis for roughly two months but was quickly replaced following the arrival of Xyp9x. His placements with the team were below the org’s expectations making him an easy replacement. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good player but instead needed more time to settle into things.
JUGi was originally one of the fastest-growing players in the scene but began to struggle after joining Astralis. He was never in the spotlight and was often taken away from his role as an AWPer. Maybe Complexity is open to experimenting with JUGi and making him a permanent player on the main roster.
Click to enlargeCOMPLEXITY COMPLETES THEIR ROSTER
Another addition to Complexity making a ton of headway in the competitive circuit is jks. The once undisputed lurker has played for both Renegades and 100 Thieves earning multiple awards. His move from competing in Australia to America is a big change for Savage himself. Complexity has been shaky since its latest roster creation but building a dominant team takes time.
With only a few months of practice, jks was able to finish in fourth-place at IEM Beijing. Not a bad start for someone who was new to competing in North America. Jks has always been known as a calm yet skilful rifler which is why his presence at BLAST will be entertaining.
HONDA'S DEBUT
Lastly, there’s honda, the latest and youngest addition to FURIA’s main roster. Honda will be taking place for junior due to a handful of reasons. With under a hundred dollars in earnings and four months of tournament experience, honda will make his S-Tier debut at BLAST.
Despite the uneventful results from honda's previous teams, it’s still exciting seeing a new face in the competitive scene especially when it’s someone who hasn’t competed at such a high level before with a funded org.
Honda’s strongest map has to be Mirage, especially when it comes to playing as an AWPer. With all of these new players and competitive veterans, who knows what will happen in the BLAST Global Finals. When there's six figures on the line, expect these pros to compete like they’re playing for their very own lives.
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