This weekend will see the beginning of the BLAST Premier Season which begins with the first stage of the Spring 2020 Regular Season. In this first section of the season, 12 of the top CS:GO esports teams from across the world will be competing vigorously in the hope of progressing from this stage directly to the Spring 2020 Finals, as well as getting a share of the $300,000 prize pool that is up for grabs.
Those who fail to meet the high standard will have the battle it out in an extra Showdown round in order to be in with the chance of reaching those Finals that are set to occur in May. Why do they want to make sure they are there? Well, aside from an ample portion of respect for getting there, the real money comes into play with a grand prize pool of $700,000 – $500,000 of which goes to the winning team.
Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet. First, we should examine the format of the CS: GO BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 Regular Season and what we can expect from this tournament.
How to Qualify for the Main Event
The participants in this event did not complete a qualification procedure and instead, merely applied or were selected based on merit by RFRSH, the tournament organizers, due to their significant profiles in the world of esports. This is why the teams consist of the biggest franchises in the business right and this will mean that the quality that is offered during the course of this CS:GO tournament will be of the highest standard.
As we have touched upon, this is just the first stage of the Blast Premier Season though and so this is essentially a qualification stage for the finals which are scheduled for later on in the year. The way by which these teams can get direct entry to that is by coming out on the top of your group in this stage, the CS:GO BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 Regular Season, with the top 6 teams progressing from this part of the tournament onwards. With these 6 being made up of 2 of each of the 3 group’s winners. The bottom two teams in each group will have to participate in an extra, aforementioned, showdown round.
Tournament format
These three groups are double-elimination (GSL) groups consisting of 4 teams each. None of the teams in different groups will compete against each other at these stages, with all the action in the groups being autonomous from the others. However, all of the groups will follow the same dynamic.
This dynamic is that all teams in the group will first participate in an initial match-up between another team in their group. The two winners of these will then proceed into their group’s Upper Tier Final directly, while the losing two teams will have to enter their group’s Lower Bracket Round 1. The winner of the Upper Tier Final will go directly to their group’s Grand Final, while the loser will go into their group’s Lower Tier Final. Here they will play the winner of the Lower Bracket Round 1.
The loser of the Lower Bracket Round 1 will be already in the Spring Showdown phase. The winner of the Lower Tier Final will then compete against the Upper Tier Final winner in the Grand Finale, while the loser will be placed in the Spring Showdown too. The two teams in each of the group’s Grand Finales already qualify for the BLAST Premier Season Spring Finals in May but will compete for a larger share of the prize money up for grabs by winning their final.
List of Teams
- 100 Thieves
- Astralis
- Complexity Gaming
- Evil Geniuses
- FaZe Clan
- G2 Esports
- Team Liquid
- MIBR
- Natus Vincere
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- OG
- Team Vitality
Schedule list
The Group Stages will run over the next two weeks with these running from January 31st– February 16th, 2020. Those who qualify directly to the BLAST Premier Season Finals will the battle over the weekend of May 19th-21st, 2020. Naturally, The Showdown will take place some point between the competition of the regular season and the finals.
Schedule & results
GROUP A (Jan 31 – Feb 2)
| DATE – ROUND | MATCH | PT | ET | BST |
| Jan 31 – Semifinal #1 | FaZe Clan vs Ninjas in Pyjamas | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Jan 31 – Semifinal #2 | Team Liquid vs MIBR | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 1 – Lower Bracket Round 1 | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 1 – Upper Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 2 – Lower Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 2 – Grand Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
GROUP B (Feb 7 – Feb 9)
| DATE – ROUND | MATCH | PT | ET | BST |
| Feb 7 – Semifinal #1 | Natus Vincere vs Team Vitality | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 7 – Semifinal #2 | Astralis vs Complexity | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 8 – Lower Bracket Round 1 | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 8 – Upper Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 9 – Lower Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 9- Grand Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
GROUP C (Feb 14 – Feb 16)
| DATE – ROUND | MATCH | PT | ET | BST |
| Feb 14 – Semifinal #1 | 100 Thieves vs G2 Esports | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 14 – Semifinal #2 | Evil Geniuses vs OG | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 15 – Lower Bracket Round 1 | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 15 – Upper Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
| Feb 16 – Lower Bracket Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 3:30 PM |
| Feb 16 – Grand Final | TBD vs TBD | 11:10 AM | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
Streaming platform list
You will be able to embrace the excitement of the BLAST Premier Season Regular 2020 with ease by tuning on to one of the many streams for the matches offered on either YouTube or Twitch. As is often the case, you will also be able to watch some of the action at online bookmakers who offers esports streams and betting. Most notably for this event is Betway, who are the event sponsors. Here, alongside being able to bet on those who will top their group, win the case and qualify for the next round, you should be able to watch the action when you create an account. There are a number of other esports sites out there who regularly stream CS:GO tournaments events online, so you should be able to view these matches on these too.
Streaming on esportsguide.com
One of the best sites for watching the game. The perfect guide for users that are new or already into esports. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Predictions
While a handful of the big CS:GO Esports teams are missing from this event’s roster, the high-ranked team in the world isn’t, with the Danish team, Astralis, and will be appearing in Group B. These will almost certainly top their group and move on to the next round. The other Group B team likely to go through is world Number 4, Vitality but there will be tough competition for this second spot from Eastern European outfit, Natus Vincere. In Group A, Team Liquid and Faze will be favorites to take 1st and 2nd respectively, while Group C also looks like a tough one to be in but Evil Genuises and 100 Thieves should qualify with G2 narrowly missing out.
