After emerging triumphant at EPICENTER, FaZe Clan will be looking to carry their momentum into the BLAST Pro Series: Copenhagen.
With NiKo still manning the in-game leader role, FaZe overcame the more-difficult side of the play-off bracket, a run which included back-to-back 2-0 wins over both Team Liquid in the semis and Natus Vincere in the final.
NiKo continues to thrive despite his role transition, with the squad appearing to be adjusting to the new leadership.
While initially it appeared apparent karrigan’s FaZe future was in doubt given his demotion, the slow success and progression of the squad is beginning to silence such talk.
FaZe still boast one of the most stacked line-ups, in terms of taw talent, the game has ever seen, and they remain a threat at any event they attend given their incredibly high ceiling, albeit with some boom-or-bust tendencies.
Changes at Cloud9
Cloud9 are fielding a brand-new line-up at this event, with kioShiMa standing in and Skadoodle stepping away from the competitive scene.
This is less of a seismic shift than it initially appears in terms of roles within the team for this event, given autimatic had recently taken the mantle of primary AWPer (sniper) away from Skadoodle. Yet, given how long Skadoodle was on this roster, it will be a breath of fresh air with C9 finally appearing to be moving in the right direction.
In comes kioShiMa, a player known for his talent but also issues with motivation which led to his removal from some previous squads.
Cloud9 have become a bit of a wildcard here, with questions as to whether or not any members such as flusha or RUSH can find success within this new roster.
This is also a major chance for kioShiMa if he wants to stick on this roster long term, although it is more likely that Cloud9 will look for a North American player moving forward.
Still questions for Natus Vincere
After a 2nd-place finish at EPICENTER, there are still major concerns about the lack of consistency coming from Natus Vincere.
Despite defeating FaZe Clan 2-0 in the Group Stage, Na’Vi then immediately had the opposite happen to them with the pressure on in the finals. In particular, electronic was unable to play up to his billing – a killer given the current status of Na’Vi’s roster.
With two of the best players in the world on board in s1mple and electronic, Na’Vi are heavily influenced by whether or not one or both of these players can deliver exceptional performance.
The other three members of the team – flamie, Zeus and Edward – continue to lack the consistency to be considered stars. flamie comes closest but overall Na’Vi should be coming home with titles with this line-up, especially if Astralis are absent at an event, although in this case the latter will be in Copenhagen.
MIBR also shuffle
MIBR have perhaps the most intriguing line-up entering this event, which offers another chance to prove themselves against top-tier opposition.
After their roster shuffle and addition of YNk to the coaching staff, MIBR have both risen up the rankings and appeared to reach a ceiling, with a consistency in both defeating lower-tier opponents and being unable to break through against better competition.
However, during the last BLAST Pro Series event in Istanbul they were able to make it all the way to the final and narrowly missed out on taking down Astralis. That was perhaps the best this line-up has looked, with the squad hoping to replicate those results here in Copenhagen.
Astralis odds-on
Astralis will be gunning for their seventh consecutive tournament win when the action gets under way on Friday and anything other than a victory would be a surprise. Odds of 1.675 show that.
Still, the best-of-one round-robin format offers up the opportunity for someone to step up and shock the Danes on their home soil.
Na’Vi, at 5.330, are most likely to be that team, according to Dafabet, with MIBR (7.440) and FaZe Clan (9.030) also potential challengers.
NIP can be backed at 13.820 with Cloud9 27.650 outsiders following their changes.
