FaZe Clan have secured Group A’s top seed in the first week of the CS:GO BLAST Premier Spring Series. The European squad crushed their competition, easing past Ninjas in Pyjamas and one of the world’s best, Team Liquid. FaZe and Liquid finished first and second, respectively, in Group A, both earning a spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Final in June. Other group members MIBR and Ninjas in Pyjamas will move on to the BLAST Showdown.
FaZe Clan came into Group A as a second-favorite behind Team Liquid. The European side quickly exerted their strength, defeating day-one opponents Ninjas in Pyjamas with a clean 2-0 sweep. Team Liquid took on MIBR in their initial match-up, defeating the Brazilian squad 2-0 after an overtime affair on Vertigo. Day two kicked off with MIBR facing off against NiP in the lower bracket match, the loser being sent to the BLAST Showdown. MIBR took Train, though NiP’s Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson topped the scoreboard on Vertigo and Inferno to keep the Swedish team alive.
Day two continued with Group A’s upper bracket match-up, where FaZe Clan took on Team Liquid. A brawl on FaZe’s pick of Dust2 saw the European side come out on top, converting a 10-5 half-time lead into a 16-12 map victory. The series moved on to Inferno, the map choice of Team Liquid. Another dominant 11-4 half set FaZe Clan up for victory, with ex-MIBR star Marcelo “coldzera” David leading the way with 24 kills. FaZe took Inferno 16-5, and the series 2-0.
Team Liquid returned on the final day to take on NiP, the game sending its winner to the BLAST Spring Final while the losing team fell to the Showdown. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken’s 25 kills powered the North American side to a strong 16-10 win on Vertigo, NiP’s map choice. The fight continued on Mirage, where Fredrik “REZ” Sterner’s best efforts were not enough as Team Liquid took an overtime victory, closing out the series 2-0.
NiP’s defeat meant Liquid had one more chance to take Group A’s top seed. The team once again faced FaZe Clan, the series kicking off on Liquid’s pick of Mirage. Massive efforts from Helvijs “broky” Saukants and Håvard “rain” Nygaard earned FaZe a 9-6 lead on their CT side. The European mix continued on the offense, securing a 16-9 victory on map one.
FaZe’s map choice took the series to Dust2, where they continued to outclass their North American opponents. Beginning on the offensive side, more stunning plays from rain and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač put FaZe up 13-2 at half-time. Team Liquid found no luck on their own offense, conceding map two 2-16.
This victory earns FaZe Clan a $50,000 prize and a spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Final, where they will be joined by Team Liquid. MIBR and NiP will continue their journeys at the BLAST Showdown. The Premier regular season will continue with Group B on February 7th.
