Welcome to our BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe coverage hub! In this article, we will tackle all things happening in and around the event as they happen, every day from the start on June 1 to the finish on June 15.
JUNE 15, 2020
Ninjas in Pyjamas complete Grand Finals team list
The long-delayed final game of the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe concluded with Swedish success. Ninjas in Pyjamas overcame MAD Lions in a hard-fought three-map series - 16-7; 10-16; 16-11. The combined efforts of the Ninjas topped an amazing solo performance by Frederik "acoR" Gyldstrand.
The Danish AWPer put up 78 kills - 20+ more than anyone else on the server, but all of that was negated by four out of five Ninjas going for 54 or more. By contrast, acoR's best teammate peaked at 47.
This puts an end to the Showdown portion of the tournament. The Grand Finals begin tomorrow and, as always, we'll be there to cover every aspect. Don't miss out!
- MAD Lions 1-2 Ninjas in Pyjamas
JUNE 7, 2020
Vitality, ENCE secure Grand Finals places
The final pair of BLAST Premier Spring Showdown matches for this week finally gave us some proper playoff action. With two spots in the Grand Finals on the table, the four teams tried their best to avoid returning to the server next Monday, but only two of them succeeded.
Team Vitality needed all three maps to overcome Ninjas in Pyjamas and they should be completely fine with that because they were two rounds away from losing in two. The last two rounds on Overpass that Vitality won would result in a complete turnaround as the French's Vertigo prowess saw them through in the decider.
Time is ZywOo's worst enemy #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/Ix0iGiPRb6
— Team Vitality (@TeamVitality) June 7, 2020
ENCE know perfectly well what it's like for two rounds to clinch you a game. The Finns needed a pair to push Mirage into overtime vs. MAD Lions and avoid going into a Nuke decider. A couple of rounds hardly seems like much of a task, but keep in mind that ENCE had previously won a total of two rounds for the entirety of the second half. By doubling their half total, the Finns lit a spark within and tw oovertime periods later they were celebrating a BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals Europe place and $37,500 in prize money.
While we are done for the week, NiP and MAD Lions are not done for the tournament. They will battle for the final Grand Finals spot next Monday - a delay forced by the clash of scheduling with DreamHack Masters Spring Europe.
- Team Vitality 2 - 1 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- ENCE Esports 2 - 0 MAD Lions
JUNE 6, 2020
Does it get any ezier for ENCE?
ENCE could even dare to dream of an easier playoff matchup than what they got in the form of mousesports. The Finnish side outright abused mouz on Train and Dust2, with karrigan's side looking completely out of it for the entire duration of the game. The final lresult of 16-6; 16-9 could not represent what happened in the server more accurately. A second early tournament exit in a row must have left karrigan thinking.
- mousesports 0 - 2 ENCE Esports
Decisions, decisions, @mousesports #EZ4ENCE #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/AKkihD03do
— ENCE (@ENCE) June 6, 2020
Fnatic can't stop ZywOo
Who can stop this French kid, really? ZywOo had a field day against Fnatic and with a suitable amount of help, was able to win his squad the match in two maps. More was expected of this Fnatic side but there's not much you can do when ZywOo and his teammates are clicking at the same time - 16-10; 16-9 Vitality.
- Team Vitality 2 - 0 Fnatic
JUNE 5, 2020
Playoff time!
The conclusion of the group stage of course means we're all set for the playoffs to begin. Thanks to most big teams underperforming so far, the first pair of games are as spicy as they come this early in the playoff race.
In the first matchup out-of-form mousesports take on the crippled Astralis. If the last few days are anything to go by, this should end up a drama-filled marathon of mistakes. The other match gives Dignitas a chance to prove they are to be taken seriously as they meet up with a Vitality squad itching to fix the sAw failure.
Astralis fail to cope without key players
Astralis are out of BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe. The Danish powerhouse couldn't manage to shock mousesports in the absense of two of its key players. Without gla1ve and Xyp9x the best Astralis could do is push the first map - Overpass, to overtime, in which they lost 19-16. After that Train was a mere formality that confirmed mousesports' advance to the second round - 16-5.
- mousesports 2 - 0 Astralis
Overpass is nearly done as we head into the second half with a 11-4 lead. #ReadyWillingAble #BLASTPremier https://t.co/lqJgrqGF8H pic.twitter.com/xjvrmy8YyZ
— mousesports (@mousesports) June 5, 2020
Vitality unconvincing vs. Dignitas
Many have waited for Dignitas to show any glimpses of top tier quality since their formation at the start of the year but that hasn't happened yet. Which makes Vitality losing a map to the Swedes a concern. The French haven't been on par with expectations themselves and its matches like these that show their struggles with inconsistency most accurately.
Vitality crushed DIG on the latter's map pick Nuke, but followed it with an abysmal Dust2 performance that sent the match to a decider where anything can happen. Lucky for the French, Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut happened. The young star dropped 34 kills in 27 rounds to grant his team victory. With Fnatc up next, Vitality might need more than ZywOo to advance further though.
- Team Vitality 2 - 1 Dignitas
JUNE 4, 2020
Major fail for Vitality, NiP win Group A
Team Vitality had one job. One! To beat the 0-3 sAw. And they would win Group A. But nooo, they had to lose 16-11. They just had to. This loss combined with ENCE's victory over Astralis means the French fall to third in the final group standings. ENCE, by virtue of worse round differential finish second, behind Ninjas in Pyjamas. Astralis barely make it out of the group thanks to their only W, which grants them the head-to-head advantage over sAw.
- Team Vitality 11 - 16 sAw
- Astralis 13 - 16 ENCE Esports
Honestly just @zywoo doing @zywoo things! #BLASTPremier | https://t.co/mKPHu9UP7D pic.twitter.com/9nts5MhtT4
— BLAST Premier (@BLASTPremier) June 4, 2020
Mousesports advance to BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe playoffs...barely
Mousesports' shaky recent form continued on the final day of group play. The team managed to finish third, which should be treated as a success given how they took a measly one point from two games today. That point was won against group winners MAD Lions, which is the only silver lining in a paltry group stage display by mousesports.
This draw meant that the following game vs. Virtus.pro was meaningless to both teams because the CIS team could not overcome the head-to-head disadvantage they had with Dignitas, and mouz could no longer catch up with MAD Lions. VP won 16-14 anyway to collect their first and only points of the tournament. The last group stage game was a Swedish derby that was won handily by Fnatic. Dignitas need to dig in for the playoffs.
- mousesports 15 - 15 MAD Lions
- Fnatic 16 - 9 Dignitas
- mousesports 14 - 16 Virtus.pro
JUNE 3, 2020
Vitality record first win, can still win group
Team Vitality achieved their first victory at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe, one that leaves them with a chance for a first-place finish in Group A. The French added to Astralis' post-Xyp9x misery with a 16-6 beating on Nuke, sending the Danes to fourth place in the process. As ENCE defeated sAw earlier, Astralis' place in the playoffs is not under question, but it is obvious they are struggling with two starters out.
- READ MORE: ALEX departs Team Vitality
ENCE had the chance to challenge for the top themselves, but couldn't pull through vs. group leaders Ninjas in Pyjamas, only managing a draw. While both the French and the Finns have equal amount of points before their final games, Vitality are playing the 0-3 sAw, who are already out of contention, and ENCE still has to go through Astralis who are battling for a better seed. NiP can only sit and watch as they have already played all four matches, winning two and drawing two.
- ENCE Esports 16 - 4 sAw
- Astralis 6 - 16 Team Vitality
- Ninjas in Pyjamas 15 - 15 ENCE Esports
GORILLA GIFS OUT FOR @FLUSHA ACE #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/uTALeoWP50
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) June 3, 2020
Mousesports still in danger, VP on verge of elimination
There were two games played in Group B today, both of whom held a key to the fate of all teams involved. In a clash for comfort at the upper half of the standings, Fnatic won a 30-rounder against mousesports to secure playoff presence and keep mouz dangerously close to the bottom.
Virtus.pro's woes continued against Dignitas. The CIS squad is now 0-3 but still has a theoretical chance of making it out of the group in case they surprise mousesports tomorrow. This 16-6 mauling at the hands of DIG doesn't inspire much confidence there's any possibility of that happening.
- Fnatic 16 - 14 mousesports
- Dignitas 16 - 6 Virtus.pro
JUNE 2, 2020
Vitality - the kings of draws
There have been two draws so far at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe and one team has been involved both times - Vitality. The French followed the ENCE tie from yesterday with another one vs. NiP. This result suits both sides for the time being. The Swedes consolidated first place after they had easily dispatched group outsiders sAw earlier on the day while Vitality avoided drifting too far away from the top of the group by remaining undefeated.
- Ninjas in Pyjamas 16 - 7 sAw
- Ninjas in Pyjamas 15 - 15 Team Vitality
RT'd without comment https://t.co/e5GWkQX8QT
— MAD Lions CS:GO English (@MADLions_CSEN) June 2, 2020
MAD Lions show who's boss in Group B
MAD Lions are hungry and they are eating every CS:GO team that comes their way. The Danes had to play twice on the day - against Virtus.pro and Dignitas, and lost a total of 12 rounds. That's an in-form squad, guys. VP did slightly better by accumulating seven rounds but the fact they couldn't do any better vs. Fnatic makes their position in Group B precarious.
- Fnatic 16 - 7 Virtus.pro
- MAD Lions 16 - 5 Dignitas
- MAD Lions 16 - 7 Virtus.pro
JUNE 1, 2020
Astralis split first two games without Xyp9x
The very first Xyp9x-less game for Astralis was one to forget. With both the clutch ace and IGL Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander out of the mix, their replacements Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer and Jacob "JUGi" Hansen combined for just 15 kills en route to a miserable 16-7 loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas.
The pair redeemed itself later on the day by doubling their production to a 30-kill total in a 16-4 demolition of sAw. With ENCE and Vitality producing the first draw of the tournament, Astralis' 1-1 record on the day places them right behind NiP in these very early standings.
- Astralis 7 - 16 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Team Vitality 15 - 15 ENCE Esports
- Astralis 16 - 4 sAw
.@JUGiOfficial brings the match home with a 3k and a 1v1 clutch in the last round #BLASTPremier #ToTheStars pic.twitter.com/5SmDi5DXMY
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) June 1, 2020
M stands for mouz and MAD Lions boiii
It was a great opening day for teams beginning with the letter M. Mousesports and MAD Lions recorded convincing 16-10 wins over Swedish opposition. Dignitas fell to the international squad while Fnatic were the Lions' prey on the day. Virtus. pro sit in the middle of all of that, yet to play their first game.
- mousesports 16 - 10 Dignitas
- Fnatic 10 - 16 MAD Lions
MAY 31, 2020
What is BLAST Premier Spring Showdown?
The Showdown is a prelude to the BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals which are scheduled to begin on June 16. It is split into just two regions - Europe and North America. Participating teams will play for a bigger slice of the prize pool, points for the BLAST Premier Circuit, and what's most appetizing - a place in the Grand Finals.
Here is how the money and BLAST Premier Circuit points are allocated:
Europe
- $37,500/800 points
- $37,500/800 points
- $25,000/400 points
- $20,000/400 points
- $13,750/300 points
- $13,750/300 points
- $10,000/200 points
- $10,000/200 points
- $7,500/0 points
- $7,500/0 points
North America
- $35,000/800 points
- $35,000/800 points
- $20,000/400 points
- $17,500/400 points
- $10,000/300 points
- $10,000/300 points
- $7,500/200 points
- $7,500/200 points
BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe
There are ten teams participating on this side of the Atlantic. They are split into two round-robin groups of five teams. All games are Bo1 and as per BLAST tradition - ties are an option. A team receives three points for a win and one point for a draw. Top four teams proceed to the playoffs, last-placed is eliminated. The main goal is BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals Europe qualification and with three empty slots in total, there is not going to be a final game here. Instead, the third-placed match will serve as a conclusion, deciding the final participant in the finals.
The BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe groups are:
Group A
- Ninjas in Pyjamas - 8 points
- ENCE Esports - 8 points
- Team Vitality - 5 points
- Astralis - 3 point
- sAw - 3 points
Group B
- MAD Lions - 10 points
- Fnatic - 9 points
- mousesports - 4 points
- Dignitas - 3 points
- Virtus.pro - 3 points
Stay tuned for constant BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe updates within this article!
Don't forget to check out our BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America coverage hub!
