Nov 02, 2019

BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2019 Day 1 Results

The last stop of the 2019 BLAST Pro Series world circuit kicked off today in the city where it all started: Copenhagen. There's a lot on the line for the teams competing at BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen 2019, which runs from November 1-2 and has a prize pool of $250,000.

After BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen, six of the best teams throughout the year will attend the Global Final in Bahrain from December 13-14 and compete for their share of $500,000.

Three out of the six teams competing at BPS Copenhagen are already confirmed for the Global Finals: Astralis, Team Liquid, and G FUEL-sponsored team FaZe Clan. Other notables Cloud9 and NAVI will look to make up some ground this weekend to book their ticket to the Global Finals.

This tournament features another return of legendary caster Auguste "Semmler" Massonnat who has been casting CS:GO yet again, since the Overwatch League is in the offseason. We will also see the battle between two juggernauts of the world: Astralis and Team Liquid. Both teams are hoping to reclaim the number one spot in the world after being taken over by Evil Geniuses last week.

What went down during day one of the action?

Let’s take a look:

Format

The Initial Phase

In the initial group phase, all six teams face each other in a best of one map format. All teams play simultaneously, resulting in three matches running at the same time on stage, and five rounds of matches played in total. The first two rounds are played the day before the main arena event day.

The top two teams from the group stage qualify for the Grand Final, which is played in a best of three map format. Third place in the rankings will challenge one of the remaining 4th-6th place teams in a showmatch format called BLAST Stand-Off.

Ranking and Points

In the group stage, teams are ranked by the points they earn from playing matches. If two or more teams are tied for points in the end, these tiebreaker rules will be applied:

Points between the tied teams

1. Neustadl score* for whole ground
2. Round difference between tied teams
3. Round difference for the whole group
4. Sudden Death Shootout (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place only)

*Neustadl score represents the strength of a team's points. Beating the number one team is worth more than beating the number six team

Results

Round 1 Winners: FaZe Clan, NiP, NAVI,

FaZe Clan (16) vs. Astralis (2)

The opening match of BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen saw FaZe Clan go up against three-time major champions Astralis. This was only one of the first few tournaments where FaZe Clan was using its new lineups with members coldzera and broky. Astralis took the lead early after winning the pistol, but that was about all they could win against FaZe Clan.

Not long after the pistol round, FaZe Clan bounced back immensely and took the match at a very decisive 16-2 final score. This was led by Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer who posted a 21-5 scoreline while dismantling Astralis with his awp play.

NiP (16) vs. Cloud9 (6)

The second match of the day saw Cloud9, who was one of the hopeful teams looking to surpass NiP in the BLAST Pro Series standings. Going into the tournament, Cloud9 was also debuting a new roster with the addition of Yassine ”Subroza” Taoufik, the North American team was hopeful that this newest addition could propel them back into the best team in America.

Similar to the opening match of the day, this one was very one-sided as NIP ran away with the score at the end of the match. A final score of 16-6 was fueled by Simon ”twist” Eliasson’s 20-9 scoreline, which was one of the many deciding factors for NiP’s dominance.

NAVI (16) vs. Team Liquid (14)

The next match was without a doubt the best match of the day. Former number one team Team Liquid was pitted against the CIS powerhouse. This match had it all: high-octane offense from each team capped off by Denis "electronic" Sharipov’s immense 38-22 showing. This was easily the biggest upset thus far. Liquid was considered heavy favorites going into the matches, and this could impact the results moving forward.

Round 2 Winners: FaZe Clan, NiP, and Team Liquid

FaZe Clan (16) vs NAVI (9)

FaZe Clan was up next, up against previous match winners Na’vi they were looking to move to 2-0 on the day. This new FaZe Clan lineup was stuck in a stalemate with NAVI up until the score was 6-6. Proceeding after that was the expected dominance from their all-star lineup. A conclusive 16-9 scoreline moved FaZe Clan to 2-0 overall.

NiP (16) vs Astralis (7)

Another upset of the day saw Swedish team NIP destroy Astralis in one of the closing matches of the night. The day could have not gone worse for Astralis. They lost this matchup 16-7, which puts them at a woeful 0-2. Jonas 'Lekr0' Olofsson was marvelous for NIP, posting a 25-11 scoreline along with a 1.71 rating.

Cloud9 (4) vs Team Liquid (16)

The final match of the night was another lopsided one much like the opening one. Team Liquid made quick work of North American counterparts Cloud9, breezing past them 16-4. This match was one of the fastest matches so far at BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen.