Day 1 of the Counter-Strike Blast Premier 2024 Spring Final kicked off on Wednesday, June 12. And woo buddy, was it eventful from the jump.
- What: Counter-Strike Blast Premier League Spring Final
- When: Wednesday June 12 through Sunday June 16
- Where: London, England
- Venue: OVO Arena Wembley
- Prize Purse: $425,000 ($200,000 for first place)
- 2023 Champion: Heroic
Not only did FaZe Clan absolutely dominate sAw in the opening matchup, but G2 eSports was forced to announce a stand-in for star player mONSEY in their head-to-head against Team Spirit due to passport. So, what will Day 2 have in store on Thursday, June 13? That’s what we’re here to figure out.
To get us started, here’s a look at the latest Counter-Strike 2 betting lines entering the second part of the group stage for the 2024 Blast Premier Spring Final.
Please remember to double-check these online esports betting odds right up until you actually place your wager. Though the action begins bright and early on Thursday, June 13, the top online sportsbooks in the United States will continue adjusting their Counter-Strike Blast Premier League betting odds until the matches actually start.
As you can see, the reigning Blast Premier Spring Final champion, Heroic, is not on this year’s docket. But FaZe Clan continues to be heavily favored through all of their individual matchups. Will they take care of business in Round 2? And how will the other matches play out? Let’s get into it all.
Setting the Stage for the 2024 Counter-Strike Blast Premier League Spring Final
Before diving into our Counter-Strike Blast Premier predictions, let’s have a look at how the format of this spring tournament works. It essentially unfolds in two phases.
Counter-Strike Blast Premier Group Stage
- Eight teams are split into two groups of four
- All matches are best of three
- The top three teams from each group advance to the Counter-Strike Blast Premier Playoffs
- Group stage winners advance automatically to the semifinal round
- Group stage runner-ups advance to the quarterfinals as the higher seeds
- Group stage third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals as the low seeds
Counter-Strike Blast Premier Playoffs
- Single elimination bracket
- Quarterfinals and Semifinals are best of three matchups
- The Counter-Strike Blast Premier Grand Final is a best of five matchup
- The Grand Final winner receives $200,000
- The Grand Final runner-up receives $85,000
- Third and fourth place teams from the playoffs receive $40,000
And now, without further delay, let’s get to some Counter-Strike Blast Premier Group Stage predictions!
Can Astralis Rebound After an Opening Day Loss?
Astralis (-417) is entering critical territory after dropping their opening day matchup against NaVi. Despite being favored nearly 2-to-1, Astralis lost the best of three set 0-2. Granted, the rounds were relatively close. But Astralis has recently hit a rough patch, by their standards, on the Nuke map.
This hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from billing them as heavy favorites against sAw (+284). And that’s probably the right call. NaVi seems hard-wired to give a squad like Astralis tough pulls. sAw, meanwhile, just got dusted by FaZe Clan.
Definitely get ready to sound the alarm if Astralis loses here. We just don’t think it’ll come to that.
OSB Prediction: Astralis (-417)
Does NaVi Have an Upset in Them Against FaZe Clan?
Not surprisingly, FaZe Clan (-164) enters Thursday’s action as the favorite over NaVi (+225). But the latter is coming off a huge upset over Astralis.
Still, it’s hard for us to envision another upset happening here. NaVi is laying longer odds for a reason. Even though they went 2-0 against Astralis, their kill-to-death ratio is basically even. FaZe Clan, on the other hand, continues to excel in that department, posing 185 total kills against 154 total deaths in this tournament so far.
Of course, the Nuke map has given FaZe Clan some problems in recent matchups. That’s something to keep an eye on. In the aggregate, though, we’d be surprised if they don’t dispatch NaVi 2-0 in this best of three tussle.
OSB Prediction: FaZe Clan (-164)
Will Team Vitality Avoid Another Letdown?
Well, Team Vitality (-175) enters Day 2 of the Counter-Strike Blast Premier Spring Final in some semblance of trouble. They were roughly a 3.5-to-1 favorite against Virtus.pro on Day 1. And then they wound up losing.
Life should get a little easier against G2 Esports (+129). They managed to pick up an opening-map victory against Team Spirit on Day 1 but were overwhelmed the rest of the way, dropping two straight maps by a combined score of 26-11.
Concern for Team Vitality’s offensive attack is fair game. But there’s more questions facing G2 Esports, which mustered only 167 kills through three total boards. It also doesn’t help G2 Esports’ cause that the status of star play mONSEY remains in doubt as they deal with passport issues.
OSB Prediction: Team Vitality (-175)
Team Spirit Appears Unaffected by Superstar’s Absence
Team Spirit (-250) is coming off a dominant performance over G2 Esports in which they racked up 216 total kills to just 170 deaths. Their efforts helped earn them heavy-favorite billing in their matchups with Virtus.pro (+270).
And yet, even with the odds in mind, it would be unwise to write off the underdog. Virtus.pro just upset Team Vitality in the opening round with clutch displays on the Dust2 and Anubis maps. It would not shock us if they force Team Spirit into a more conservative play style that throws off their overall approach.
Are we prepared to predict another upset on their part? Not quite. Day 1 of the Counter-Strike Blast Premier Spring Final featured two pretty big upsets. But those debut tilts are often feeling-out matches. Plus, Team Spirit has too many players capable of rattling off strings of aces.
OSB Prediction: Team Spirit (-250)
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