Blast Premier Spring 2022 Group A concludes as G2 Dominates competition

Blast Premier Spring 2022 kicked off with Group A as we saw the much-awaited G2 Debut. NIP's outing with phzy went well, netting them a solid second place, while BIG and Complexity struggled.

To kick off the day we had G2 taking on NA's youngsters in Complexity. The off-season discussion on G2 was that this team will finally let NiKo win a major. Their debut started off strong as they dominated coL to lock in an early 6-2 lead. coL bounced back with a 3 round lockdown, but with m0NESY showing off in his debut and NiKo not skipping a beat from 2021, the half quickly fizzled out, ending in a 9-6 lead for G2.

The second half looked like game over as Aleksib's troops quickly locked in match point. Down 15-7, coL and JT dug deep pulling off some amazing rounds of CS, but ultimately NiKo's dominance was impossible to overcome and the NA representatives dropped down to the lower bracket.

The other opener saw the Ninjas in Pyjamas face off against BIG. After a less than stellar debut with faveN at Funspark ULTI, BIG came into Blast Premier Spring 2022 Group A looking to make their mark. To start things off, BIG's T side showed their strengths, plowing through NIP's defenses and locking in a 6-0 start. NIP fought back and tied the game back up 7-7. BIG however ended the half with a tiny lead at 8-7.

The second half saw NIP dominate BIG's B-site defense, forcing the Germans to stack the site harder. This only opened the map up for Hampus' lurks as he continued his superb form and led his team to a 16-12 victory.

The Upper Bracket showdown between G2 and NIP was a sight to behold. G2 didn't give NIP any chance in the game and sent them back down to the lower bracket. The half started off with G2 setting up a CT side stronghold. Jackz in the pit was an absolute beast, delivering lockdown after lockdown and securing the half 10-5. Hunter's start to the second half quickly ended the map as the Samurais beat the Ninjas 16-5.

The Lower Bracket game was another Nuke game from the boys in blue. After the strong showing against G2, coL was expected to make this game close, maybe even cause an upset. BIG started off with another 6-0 lead with the star trio of syrsoN, tabseN and faveN popped off. With the economy finally under control, Complexity answered back with a couple of rounds of their own, ending the half with a respectable 10-5.

In the second half, BIG's crucial trio vanished allowing Complexity to find their way back into the match, even securing the lead at 11-10. But support player tiziaN put his superstar hat on and chased coL back to NA. With a 21-14 scoreline he was critical to BIG closing the map out with 5 rounds in a row. Complexity will now have to hope for a Gauntlet run to secure a Spring finals spot.

The two squads faced off once more but with Plopski rolling back the years, this was an easy victory for the Ninjas in Pyjamas. The start to the game was ultra-close as both sides traded rounds in the battle for the economic advantage. The Ninjas finally locked in the advantage and extended to a 6-3 lead. Both sides picked up 3 rounds to end the half 9-6. A failed pistol round conversion meant BIG started edging their way back into the game before NIP dominated BIG out of the game and locked themselves a finals berth at Blast Premier Spring 2022 Group A.

In a grueling final map, G2 and NIP battled it out for the honor of not facing NaVi. The start of the game was surprising as we saw G2 start off on fire netting a 6 round lead, but NIP doused the flames and won every single round from there. The half ended 9-6 in the Swedes' favor and we saw them quickly take the game to match point in the second half.

The game looked dire for G2 but in homage to the legendary C9 major win's Anniversary, NiKo's team rallied and took the game to overtime with the half ending on a B site retake. In Overtime, the teams were close as could be, but m0NESY stepping up for the G2 side and hampus fragging out for NIP, sent the game to a 2nd Overtime. There m0NESY fully took over, showing off his mechanical brilliance and pushing G2 over the finish line to secure victory at Blast Premier Spring 2022 Group A. This will mean that they only need to win 1 more Best Of 3 to secure a Spring Finals spot and they won't have to face off against the top teams of Group B and C.

Stay Tuned to Esports.gg to keep up with Blast Premier Spring Groups, and check out our breakdown of the Blast Premier 2022 format changes here.