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After a rocky off-season, where the team’s roster was significantly reworked and the signing of Linus “nilo” Bergman fell through at the last minute, HEROIC seemed to be on shaky ground.
Yet, the Danish Counter-Strike 2 side defied expectations with a strong performance in the opening rounds of the BLAST Bounty tournament.
Despite the odds, they pulled off surprise victories over 3DMAX and Team Liquid, qualifying for the Finals in Copenhagen.
Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich, who was added at the last minute to replace nilo, played a pivotal role in HEROIC’s opening victory against the Frenchmen with a 30-bomb in overtime on Ancient.
BOUNTY CLAIMED: @heroicgg are on fine form as they claim the $30K bounty and secure their spot at our Copenhagen studio next week!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/d2mhH9sCfI
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) January 18, 2025
Meanwhile, Álvaro “SunPayus” García, who had spent the past year on the bench with Falcons, found his form, delivering a standout 1.32-rated performance in the series against Liquid.
Even after a close map loss on Mirage, HEROIC bounced back, securing wins on Anubis and Ancient to clinch the series.
The Danish squad’s surprising run has set the stage for an exciting next chapter.
They now prepare for their first test on LAN in Copenhagen, where they will face seven other qualified teams.
Despite a valiant effort against HEROIC, Liquid’s inconsistent performances left them with a mixed bag of results.
As they prepare for a rematch against HEROIC at IEM Katowice on January 29, the team faces pressure to show improvement and regain their footing.
BOUNTY CLAIMED: @paiNGamingBR cause the upset and eliminate @FaZeEsports from the tournament and claim their $30K bounty!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/CpskaJH5Dx
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) January 18, 2025
After a series of near-misses in 2024, Brazilian squad paiN Gaming made a single, high-impact roster change by bringing in Chilean rifler David “dav1deuS” Tapia Maldonado.
The decision has already paid off, as paiN shocked FaZe Clan to secure a spot at the BLAST Bounty Finals in Copenhagen.
Despite a reputation for struggling against top-tier teams, paiN’s victory over FaZe in their opening match of the year was a statement.
dav1deuS was instrumental in his team’s success, posting a stellar 1.54 rating on Dust2, leading paiN to a hard-fought 13-10 victory.
On FaZe’s map pick of Inferno, key frags from dav1deuS and his teammates helped secure a 13-11 win, propelling paiN to the next stage.
The Brazilian side now heads to Copenhagen with confidence, hoping to build on their strong start.
.@Team__Spirit showing why they are the Major Champions as they DESTROY @FlyQuestCS and take their $15K bounty while they are at it!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/yKzCY3zUUA
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) January 18, 2025
After clinching the Shanghai Major title in 2024, Team Spirit have shown no signs of slowing down in the new season.
Their performance in the BLAST Bounty tournament has been nothing short of dominant, with a 2-0 demolition of FlyQuest ensuring their place at the Finals.
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets has continued to shine, putting on a masterclass with a 2.30 series rating and an absurd 141 ADR across the series.
FlyQuest, who had just upset MIBR in the first round, were outmatched by Spirit, who showed no mercy.
Despite a valiant effort from FlyQuest’s Romanian AWPer Iulian “regali” Harjău, the Australian team couldn’t get their footing against Spirit’s overwhelming firepower.
A quad-kill from donk and a 1v3 clutch from Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia sealed FlyQuest’s fate, as Spirit powered through to the Finals with ease.
Beautiful Counter-Strike from @natusvincere on Ancient sees them secure the map, the $15K bounty and a flight to Copenhagen for the LAN finals!
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/RIEoKR6dMS
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) January 18, 2025
Natus Vincere’s victory over Astralis was more than just a win; it was a crucial test of their form heading into the upcoming IEM Katowice.
The match started rough for the Ukrainian side, but they managed to find their rhythm after a difficult opening.
The team claimed a 13-11 win on Inferno, where Nicolai “device” Reedtz’s stellar performance nearly handed Astralis an upset.
On Ancient, Natus Vincere turned things around completely.
After an early 2-6 deficit, they strung together 11 rounds in a row to secure the map and the series.
The win over Astralis provided a much-needed confidence boost for Natus Vincere, who will now look to build on this momentum as they prepare for IEM Katowice in just a few weeks.
The last four games of the BLAST Bounty Spring qualifiers will be played on Sunday, as Eternal Fire will clash with Team Falcons, FURIA take on BetBoom Team, Virtus.pro meets Team Vitality, followed by BIG vs G2 Esports.