The online stage of the inaugural BLAST Bounty event in CS2 has wrapped up, with eight teams securing their spots at the LAN finals in Copenhagen from January 23 to 26.
The competition saw thrilling matches, upsets, and standout performances as the new single-elimination format tested every team’s resilience.
Top Seeds Dominate, But Big Names Miss Out
All top four seeds navigated the tricky bracket to secure qualification. G2, Spirit, Natus Vincere, and Vitality lived up to their reputations and made it through. However, the tournament also delivered its share of surprises as heavyweights like FaZe Clan, MOUZ, and Falcons fell short of expectations and missed out on the coveted LAN spots.
.@eternalfirecs2 take down @FalconsEsport to claim the $30K bounty and secure a spot at the LAN stage in Copenhagen! #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/k5paUji59R
— BLAST Premier (@BLASTPremier) January 19, 2025
Underdog stories also emerged, with HEROIC and BetBoom qualifying despite recent roster rebuilds. Both teams impressed with strong performances during their honeymoon period. However, BetBoom will face an added challenge in Copenhagen, as visa issues will sideline their in-game leader Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov and AWPer Aleksandr "zorte" Zagodyrenko. In their place, benched players Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov and Aleksandr "KaiR0N-" Anashkin, who had been sidelined after the team’s struggles at the Shanghai Major RMR, will return as stand-ins.
Due to visa issues, we're flying to Denmark with stand-ins. Roster for BLAST Bounty Finals:Sergey "Ax1Le" RykhtovKirill "Magnojez" RodnovPavel "s1ren" OgloblinAlexander "KaiR0N" Anashkin (stand-in)Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov (stand-in)Thanks to the guys for stepping up pic.twitter.com/eQwMtsp7a9
— BetBoom Team (@BetBoomTeam) January 19, 2025
Rounding out the final eight are paiN Gaming and Eternal Fire. Both teams delivered standout performances in the last 16, with paiN pulling off a shocking 2-0 upset against FaZe Clan and Eternal Fire dispatching the reworked Falcons lineup in dominant fashion. G2 also faced a scare in their match against BIG Clan, battling back from a map down to secure qualification. HEROIC made headlines as well, besting Team Liquid in a thrilling 2-1 encounter to punch their ticket to Copenhagen.
BOUNTY HELD: @G2CSGO reverse sweep @BIGCLANgg to bag their bounty and book a spot at the LAN Final! #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/hoBDZ4GBzk
— BLAST Premier (@BLASTPremier) January 19, 2025
The final eight teams, seeded as follows, will now prepare for the live opponent selection show on January 22:
- G2
- Natus Vincere
- Vitality
- Spirit
- BetBoom
- paiN
- Eternal Fire
- HEROIC
The four lower-seeded “Bounty Hunters” (seeds 5–8) will get to pick their opponents, starting with BetBoom.
With the first CS2 LAN event of 2025 on the horizon, excitement is at an all-time high. The LAN promises top-tier Counter-Strike action, as many of the best teams and players converge in Copenhagen to battle for the title. The live team-picking show is sure to add an extra layer of intrigue, and fans eagerly await the matchups that will define the final stretch of the tournament.
We can’t wait to see the action unfold and look forward to the thrilling matches ahead in Copenhagen!