BLAST Premier Fall moves to LAN as Team Liquid, 100 Thieves withdraw

After extensive regional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments played online, BLAST Premier’s Fall Series represents a significant milestone as it transitions back to live, LAN-based competition featuring international teams.

With Europe gradually reopening live esports events, BLAST Premier has confirmed it will consolidate regional tournaments into a unified LAN showcase gathering nearly all premier CS:GO organizations. This return to traditional tournament settings coincides with Evil Geniuses making the transatlantic journey from North America to participate. The autumn championship features an elite roster of established competitive powerhouses ready to compete.

• Astralis
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• G2 Esports
• OG
• Vitality
• Natus Vincere
• FaZe Clan
• Complexity
• FURIA
• MiBR
• Evil Geniuses
• BIG

However, two prominent North American squads will be notably absent from the international competition, each citing different strategic considerations.

100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag revealed on October 12 his decision to dissolve the organization’s Counter-Strike division entirely, eliminating any possibility of European competition participation. The future disposition of the team roster remains uncertain, with possibilities ranging from organizational transfer to complete dissolution.

Conversely, Team Liquid issued an official communiqué emphasizing player safety concerns regarding international travel. While health considerations certainly factor into this decision, the complete strategic picture reveals additional dimensions. Team Liquid has secured direct seeding into the BLAST Fall Showdown tournament, positioning them strategically for potential qualification to the BLAST Fall Final through alternative competitive pathways.

Team Liquid declines, but FURIA’s explosive potential deserves BLAST spot

While 100 Thieves represents a known competitive entity with consistently underwhelming performances recently, the absence of Team Liquid’s reworked roster presents a more complex competitive narrative.

Following the departure of veteran in-game leader Nick “nitr0” Cannella and integration of emerging talent Michael “Grim” Wince from Triumph, Team Liquid has demonstrated inconsistent competitive results. This transitional period has elevated Jake “Stewie2k” Yip into a primary leadership role with outcomes that appear promising yet lack definitive elite-level dominance. Their 2-0 victory against Chaos Esports Club during IEM New York Online appears convincing superficially, but closer examination reveals tightly contested 16-12 and 16-14 map victories. For an organization of Liquid’s historical caliber and resources, even an ascending team like Chaos should not have maintained such competitive parity throughout both matches.

This performance pattern naturally raises questions about whether Liquid might be strategically avoiding potential ego-damaging losses during BLAST’s Fall Series. In a tournament where virtually every participating team possesses lethal competitive capabilities, each group effectively constitutes a “group of death” scenario. Although BLAST hasn’t published the revised group compositions following the dual withdrawals, every bracket configuration promises formidable competitive challenges.

Occupying Team Liquid’s vacated position is rapidly ascending FURIA Esports, whose competitive rise has captured attention across the professional scene. Even Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, Astralis’ renowned in-game leader, publicly petitioned via Twitter for competitive engagement following FURIA’s championship performance during ESL Pro League Season 12 regional competition.

We need to have a game against
@furia
to find the
#ESLProLeague
World champ ????????

But when I am thinking about it, I dont really want to play against arT ????

— Lukas Rossander (@gla1ve_csgo)
October 5, 2020

gla1ve may soon receive his desired competitive matchup. His specific mention of FURIA’s Andrei “arT” Piovezan demonstrates significant competitive insight.

Andrei “arT” Piovezan Entry and Opening duel statistics

• CT-side opening duel attempts: 36.5% of all rounds
• CT-side success rate: 46.2% of all attempts
• T-side opening duel attempts: 43.% of all rounds
• T-side success rate: 46.2% of all attempts

If these performance metrics existed in traditional sports, arT would unquestionably qualify for hall of fame consideration. The statistical profile proves extraordinary, becoming even more remarkable considering most of arT’s engagements occur while operating the AWP sniper rifle rather than standard rifles. This indicates no opposing player remains secure from arT’s aggressive tactical approach.

BLAST plans to announce the revised group compositions before October 20, providing enthusiasts with comprehensive insight into the first premier CS:GO tournament since IEM Katowice 2020 conducted in LAN environment. Following months of online competitive play, Counter-Strike returns to its intended competitive format: direct face-to-face engagement.

Pro Tip: When analyzing team performance transitions, monitor how roster changes impact map control strategies and mid-round decision making, as these often reveal more about team development than simple win-loss records.

No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » BLAST Premier Fall moves to LAN as Team Liquid, 100 Thieves withdraw Analyzing Team Liquid's strategic withdrawal and FURIA's explosive potential in BLAST Premier's return to LAN competition