The $425,000 BLAST Premier spring final will be held in Portugal from June 15-19, featuring eight blockbuster teams: FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, ENCE, G2, Vitality, BIG, OG and paiN Gaming.
The spring final starts with two groups of four teams each, with the toppers from each group moving straight to the semifinals, while the second- and third-placed teams have to go through the quarterfinals. This is a slight deviation in the format this time around, with past editions having toyed with a double-elimination bracket format.
Only the semifinals and finals will be held in front of a live audience at the Altice Arena in Lisbon. While FaZe, Na’Vi, OG, Vitality, BIG and G2 secured their spots through the BLAST Premier spring groups between January and February, ENCE and paiN got here via their performances at the Spring Showdown in April and May.
Be sure to check out our guide on all things CS:GO betting, and let’s dive in.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| FaZe | +120 |
| Na’Vi | +250 |
| Complexity | +400 |
| G2 | +900 |
| BIG | +1400 |
Odds as of June 13 at Sportsbook
The Favorites
FaZe Clan (+120)
FaZe is the top-ranked CS:GO team for a reason. They’re coming into the tournament on the back of resounding success. They beat Na’Vi in the final of PGL Major Antwerp, thereby becoming the first international roster to win a CS:GO major. Karrigan was at the forefront of the win as he ensured FaZe hardly showed signs of nerves of the kind that had them crumble under sustained pressure in Boston in 2018.
They beat the reigning champions in two maps to take the game. Rain, who was part of FaZe’s 2016 roster, stepped up to deliver a win at a crucial time. He finished as the MVP of the major. In the end, FaZe rode momentum all the way to win 15-10. In the final round, a flurry of flags meant FaZe were champions. It made them richer by $500,000.
The win has firmly established them as the pace-setters in 2022, with championship wins at ESL Pro League 15, IEM Katowice and then PGL Major Antwerp. This also sets them up nicely to dominate the CS:GO scene for the remainder of the year.
Dark Horses
Natus Vincere (+220)
The Russian-Ukrainian outfit dominated the CS:GO scene in 2021 and is out to prove the recent reversals in Antwerp are a tiny blot in an otherwise glorious recent run. They’re keen to re-establish themselves as the best CS:GO outfit, a tag that has since been passed on to FaZe Clan. It won’t be a free pass to the title, however.
Na’Vi’s long-term rival Gambit won’t be around for the tournament, but there will be stiff competition from the likes of Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2, Team Liquid and Team Vitality.
Player In Focus
Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, also known as somedieyoung, will play for Natus Vincere at the BLAST Premier spring final this month as a temporary replacement for former in-game leader Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov. This comes about after the team had been down to just four players after parting ways with Boombl4 toward the end of May “due to high reputational risks for the club.”
