BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024: Group B preview

The era of BLAST Premier is on its penultimate step. Fall Finals kicked off with Group A's matchup between NaVi and Falcons, and Group B is up next. With so many storylines going into the event, Group B is ready to be an action-packed proving ground. So here's everything you need to know about the BLAST Premier Fall Finals Group B.

Vitality has been one of the most consistent teams in pro-CS this year. Despite a less-than-stellar performance at IEM Katowice, they have gone from strength to strength. And finally, that hard work paid off with the trophy at IEM Cologne. But unfortunately, that has now been overshadowed by a loss to Eternal Fire that ended their run at ESL Pro League early. In the end, it was a margin of mere rounds that cost Vitality a potential Finals appearance at minimum.

Even with the loss, there's no doubt that Vitality is the team to beat, especially in Group B of the Fall Final. Their opening match pits them up against Astralis, with the Danish side debuting their Casper "cadiaN" Møller-led roster. The drama surrounding the Astralis roster may have had an unsatisfactory end for some, but Vitality should feel comfortable in taking an easy victory in what should be a top 2 campaign at a minimum.

Plus, as always, the team has incredible firepower led by Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. Though in a stacked field like this, Vitality will need their strategic game to be on point, too.

Hailing from across the Atlantic are NA favorites, Team Liquid. When the team first moved to a Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken-led structure, there were many questions about how well the team may function. So far, the team has had a perfect start, beating any team outside the top 5 that they've faced. There's still a chance that it will be just a honeymoon period. However, there have been factors that point to sustained success for the NA side.

Firstly, the depth of their firepower. With Twistzz as the IGL, the team has seemingly no weak link. And the Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak gamble has absolutely hit the jackpot. The Polish AWPer has been the star of the Liquid show, averaging a 1.21 rating on LAN. Plus, the calling from Twistzz feels simple but smart, reminiscent of Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella's classic style. All the team needs to do now is string all this together, and it'll be smooth sailing into the top 5.

Their run starts off against Spirit, which, on paper, seems like a death sentence. But Spirit's been shaky recently, so Liquid has a real shot to put in an upset win to lock a playoff berth on Day 1.

2024 will be remembered as the year of Danil "donk" Kryshkovets. Ever since IEM Katowice 2024, or sooner if you keep an eye on the Tier 2 scene, the youngster has been the player to beat. And in the first half of the season, Team Spirit was keeping up with him pretty well. But their results at Cologne and EPL have been far from the standards they have set. And that must change.

The Shanghai Major is fast approaching, and Spirit has already blown one of their chances to win one. That may be excused by their lack of experience, but a second loss won't be looked at in the same light. Fall Finals is the perfect pick-up event for them to find their form, and Group B should be a walk in the park if they bring their A-game. Otherwise, it'll be another case of Donk dragging the team, kicking and screaming through the mud to make a playoff appearance.

The Astralis emergency substitute saga has already taken up enough media attention. And justifiably so! But what that has done is take away from the roster itself. Astralis' Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz took over as the IGL, stating that "it's a role I see myself in for many years to come." But just a few months into the experiment, cadiaN was brought in. While it does little to reaffirm faith in Astralis' public statements, the move was necessary once the team started to stagnate in its previous form.

There are some question marks around cadiaN's individual performance. And the pressure will be on them to perform in Copenhagen, but his track record with Martin "stavn" Lund and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard speaks for itself. The goal at their debut will be to just pip one of their rivals to make playoffs.

That's everything you need to know about the teams at Fall Finals' Group B. Check out the matches live at BLAST's official stream, and stay tuned to esports.gg for more CS2 news and updates.