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Day three of the BLAST Bounty Spring tournament was filled with action, as higher-seeded Counter-Strike 2 teams Natus Vincere (NaVi), FaZe Clan, and Eternal Fire secured victories over Imperial fe, M80, and Fluxo, respectively.
Meanwhile, Virtus.pro delivered the sole upset of the day, defeating Complexity in their first outing since parting ways with in-game leader Dzhami “Jame” Ali.
The day’s highlight was undoubtedly NaVi’s clash with Imperial fe, marking a historic moment for women’s Counter-Strike 2 esports.
Imperial fe—composed of Ana “ANa” Dumbravă, Alexandra “twenty3” Timonina, Viktoria “tory” Kazieva, Katarína “Kat” Vašková, and Zainab “zAAz” Turkie—entered the match as underdogs against the world’s third-ranked team.
Despite the 2-0 scoreline in NaVi’s favour, Imperial fe delivered an impressive performance that shattered expectations and cemented their place in Counter-Strike history.
BOUNTY HELD: They went big with their pick and gave it their all, but @natusvincere were too strong for @imperialesports Fe today! 💰 #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/L1e9N71xj0
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) January 16, 2025
The series kicked off on Ancient, with Imperial fe showing early signs of promise.
NaVi relied on clutch rounds from Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen to stay competitive, but Imperial fe’s aggressive terrorist side, powered by standout plays from twenty3 and zAAz, saw them claim five consecutive rounds and momentarily lead the scoreboard.
On their counter-terrorist side, Imperial fe kept the pressure on NaVi until an eco round loss derailed their momentum.
NaVi’s superior firepower, led by Justinas “jL” Lekavicius and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov, secured the map victory.
Mirage followed a similar pattern.
Imperial fe put up a respectable fight, with Kat stealing the spotlight through flashy shots against NaVi stars Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskyi and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov.
However, NaVi’s consistency and experience once again proved decisive, with b1t delivering a masterclass performance, racking up 140 ADR and 31 kills.
NaVi closed out the series, but not without effort, as Imperial fe showcased remarkable resilience.
The match broke records, drawing over 480,000 concurrent viewers, making it the most-watched women’s CS2 match in history, according to Esports Charts.
For Imperial fe, the performance silenced sceptics who had questioned their invitation to the tier-one tournament.
Elsewhere, FaZe Clan began their new season with Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski by defeating M80.
The North American squad, featuring stand-in Nils “k1to” Gruhne, provided stiffer resistance than anticipated but ultimately fell to FaZe’s star power in the late-game moments.
Virtus.pro, now without Jame at the helm, secured an upset victory over Complexity.
Despite close maps, powerful performances from Timur “FL4MUS” Marev and Petr “fame” Bolyshev sealed the deal.
Complexity, though unsuccessful, showed potential in their first match since losing EliGE during the player break.
Meanwhile, Eternal Fire continued their strong form, dispatching Fluxo with relative ease.
Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş once again demonstrated his top-20 pedigree, dominating with over 100 ADR.
While newcomer Samet “jottAAA” Köklü struggled to make an impact, the Turkish squad proved too strong for their Brazilian opponents.
The opening round of the BLAST Bounty Spring event will continue on Friday, with the final four matches taking place.
Check out ESB’s free betting preview and tips for Friday’s BLAST Bounty Spring fixtures.
