LIVE: BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America coverage hub

Blast premier spring showdown
Seven days is all the North American teams have to settle this. (Image credit: BLAST via Twitter)

Welcome to our BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America coverage hub! In this article, we will tackle all things happening in and around the event as they happen, every day from the start on June 1 to the finish on June 7.

Conclusion

This concludes our coverage of the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America. FURIA Esports, Made in Brazil and Evil Geniuses advance to the Grand Finals where they will be joined by Team Liquid. The tournament will be played on June 15-21 and you bet we'll be there to cover it all i none place for your convenience. See ya!

JUNE 7, 2020

Evil Geniuses are the last team to qualify for BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America

Evil Geniuses are the last team to be confirmed for the BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America after defeating Gen.G Esports 2-0 in the third-place final. EG's biggest obstacle was perhaps recovering psychologically from the heartbreak yesterday. Needless to say, they achieved that.

Gen.G looked worn off for a second game running and struggled mightily on offense specifically. Inferno and especially Train aren't the easiest maps to attack on, but seven rounds combined on the T-side is below par however you look at it. With that said, pushing both maps to respectable results is impressive. Still, you don't get points for respectable and the 16-12; 16-11 result suits any purpose to EG and EG only - they are moving into the finals.

  • Evil Geniuses 2 - 0 Gen.G Esports

JUNE 6, 2020

FURIA don't allow surprises

FURIA Esports are without a doubt the most consistent team in the North American region this year and they proved it yet again. Gen.G could not reset themselves for this tough matchup after yesterday's marathon of a game and FURIA aren't ones to show mercy in such situations. Defense served them well on Train, offense was rolling on Inferno, both maps went through an 11-4 halftime advantage for the Brazilians, match ended with a clean 16-10; 16-12 victory, FURIA win a place in the BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America.

Made in Brazil win battle vs. Evil Geniuses

No day can pass without unbelievable drama at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America it seems. FURIA's easy victory pretty much destined the Made in Brazil - Evil Geniuses match to become another epic and spoiler alert, it did.

Train and Inferno mirrored each other to the round. In the most dramatic fashion possible of course. First EG dodged a couple of bullets in regulation to win Train 19-15 in OT. Mibr did the exact same thing on Inferno, except this time they not only survived a pair of map points, but also match points. Once again, 19-15 was the final result and away we went to Dust2.

As was the case in the game overall, Evil Geniuses again held the lead midway through - 9-6. That lead grew to 12-7 with a few good entries on the offense. This is where EG's highlights seized. Just one round until the end meant that this match did not even reach the full 30 rounds, which is an utter disgrace compared to like 90% of the games played this week.

Thus, mibr complete the Brazilian sweep of opposition and join their buddies from FURIA in the BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America. It's not all over for Evil Geniuses and Gen.G, or at least not for one of them. Tomorrow they will meet to contest the last Grand Finals place up for the taking.

  • FURIA Esports 2 - 0 Gen.G Esports
  • Made in Brazil 2 - 1 Evil Geniuses

JUNE 5, 2020

Entering the playoffs

The first round of BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America playoffs begins today. Gen.G will try to put an end to Triumph's shenanigans in the first Bo3 for the week. Tomorrow, Made in Brazil take on Cloud9 in the second game of this round. FURIA and Evil Geniuses, respectively, await the victors in the semi-finals.

Gen.G give 110% to knock out Triumph

Triumph, the sensation of BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America, were eliminated by Gen.G today. Anyone who thought they'd fall easily, however, hasn't been paying attention. Two 30-round maps and one that finished in OT only added to the already sky-high levels of drama in the NA region. It all came down to experience and controling one's nerves - a game that was won by the more experienced team. Shocking, I know.

Inferno stayed true to its reputation by serving as the field on which Gen.G completed a remarkable comeback from 13-6 down to steal the victory from Triumph's expecting arms in the 30th round. While their run ends here, the US players should be absolutely proud of their efforts this week and we're all expecting to see them at a big tournament soon enough.

Made in Brazil erase Cloud9

Made in Brazil were involved in some controversy ahead of their first playoff game at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America. That apparently fueled the team to do better in the server and they will be playing for a spot in the Grand Finals at the expence of Cloud9. The match started better for the US-South African combo as they kept home advantage by winning their map choice - Overpass, 16 rounds to 12.

Mibr's best moments in this game were still ahead, though. The Brazilians simply looked like the better team on the following maps - Inferno and Dust2. Everyone on the squad was racking up kills and as is ussually the case - when a team is clicking, it's winning. The 16-8; 16-9 scoreline didn't flatter mibr as they now prepare themselves for a Sunday clash with a reemerging Evil Geniuses.

  • Gen.G 2 - 1 Triumph
  • Made in Brazil 2 - 1 Cloud9

JUNE 4, 2020

FURIA get theirs in Group A

FURIA Esports did what was expected of them by beating Chaos Esports Club 16-5 in the final BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America Group A match. These three points allowed FURIA to leapfrog the other Brazilian team in the group - mibr, and secure first place in the standings. This means the tournament favorites need to win just one more game to achieve their goal of qualifying for the BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America. For Cahos, the tournament is over.

  • FURIA Esports 16 - 5 Chaos Esports Club

100 Thieves out of BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America in dramatic fashion'

100 Thieves let themselves down big time for the second game in a row, and as it usually happens in life - it cost them dearly. The Australians allowed Triumph to come back from 12-3 down and gain a draw yesterday. Today, they would have been just fine with their 12-4 lead resulting in a draw - a precious point that would have sent them to the playoffs. Cloud9 said no. Another 30-round dramathon ending with heartache for 100 Thieves. The most amazing feat in it all is that both games happened on Nuke and 100 Thieves conceded the comebacks on the opposite side of play - on the offense vs. Triumph and on the CT side today vs. C9. Time to learn some other maps, boys.

All of this almost overshadowed the second Group B game on the day. I say almost because the 30-round festival continued, and that in a game with high stakes. Evil Geniuses had won their first two matches but a loss today would have still depraved their earlier efforts as opponents Triumph would have ammassed one point more with this win. A win that was within their grasp. Three match points gone to waste and a draw is all Triumph could get from the situation and they will have to begin their playoff journey from the first round after all.

JUNE 3, 2020

Made in Brazil keep lead at the top

Made in Brazil will remain atop BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America Group A for another day at least. That's the best way to describe wasting a 12-3 lead. Losing massive leads on Train is becoming a bad habit for Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo's crew. It's "better" to happen in the group stage than in a Grand Final, but it's still unacceptable at this level. Gen.G, on the other hand, can count their lucky stars, as the point gained from this draw guarantees they make it out of the group. FURIA will have an opportunity to dethrone mibr tomorrow... or bomb out in the last place.

  • Made in Brazil 15 - 15 Gen.G

Triumph into the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America playoffs!

Triumph, ranked No. 49 in the world, will play in the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America playoffs. That was confirmed by the point they acquired from a wasteful 100 Thieves. For the second time today a 12-3 halftime deficit resulted in a draw and while T-side Nuke gives the Australians some sort of excuse, it doesn't change the fact that they are a loss away from elimination.

There's just something about 12-3 halves today. Cloud9 did one better though. They actually lost to Evil Geniuses by conceding 13 rounds in the second half on Dust2, which might prove to be a problem in the long run because guess who C9 are playing tomorrow? Yep, 100 Thieves. Winner takes all, loser goes home. EG, on the other hand, need a draw vs. Triumph to finish first in Group B.

  • Evil Geniuses 16 - 14 Cloud9
  • 100 Thieves 15 - 15 Triumph

JUNE 2, 2020

Made in Brazil back to inconsistency

After ending their disastrous streak against FURIA yesterday, the mibr players picked up only a draw against Chaos Esports Club - the suposed underdog of Group A. Chaos missed a golden opportunity to win the entire thing as they let a 15-9 lead vanish in the final six rounds - a mistake that could cost them dearly when the final standings are shaping out.

FURIA felt opposite emotions today. Yesterday's defeat worked wonders for the squad's motivation and Gen.G were the unenviable recipients of FURIA's fury. A surprisingly easy 16-8 victory brings the Brazilians right back into the race for first place, currently just a point behind mibr.

  • Made in Brazil 15 - 15 Chaos Esports Club
  • FURIA Esports 16 - 8 Gen.G

Triumph show they are no pushovers

A perceived easy ride for Cloud9 turned into a very bumpy road to a deserved defeat once Triumph showed up to play. The former Major champions had established dominance in the early-to-mid stage of the game, but it's the ending that matters and that was all Triumph. Trailing 11-5 on Dust2, the outsiders didn't budge an inch and won 11 of the next 13 rounds to shock C9 and put them into a very difficult position in Group B. Now Cloud9 will have to show what they are made of against the big boys.

  • Cloud9 13 - 16 Triumph

JUNE 1, 2020

Evil Geniuses start well for once

Evil Geniuses went out in last place in their DreamHack Masters Spring North America group but made a statement in their opener here by beating 100 Thieves 16-12. Granted, this is the same team against whom they recorded their sole win at DreamHack, but it's still a much needed winning start for Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz' team.

  • Evil Geniuses 16 - 12 100 Thieves

Made in Brazil end losing streak vs. FURIA

Made in Brazil finally ended their nightmarish streak against fellow countrymen FURIA with a hard-fought 16-13 victory. You might be shocked to read this, but mibr had never beaten FURIA in an official match up to this point. Seven games, seven losses. We can only imagine the sigh of relied in the mibr booth after the final shot was fired.

The final game on the day didn't hold similar sentiments as Gen.G picked up a routine 16-8 W at the expense of Chaos.

  • Made in Brazil 16 - 13 FURIA Esports
  • Gen.G Esports 16 - 8 Chaos Esports Club

MAY 31, 2020

What is BLAST Premier Spring Showdown?

The Showdown is a prelude to the BLAST Premier Spring grand Finals which are scheduled to begin on June 16. It is split into just two regions - Europe and North America. Participating teams will play for a bigger slice of the prize pool, points for the BLAST Premier Circuit, and what's most apetizing - a place in the European Grand Finals.

Here is how the money and BLAST Premier Circuit points are allocated:

Europe

  1. $37,500/800 points
  2. $37,500/800 points
  3. $25,000/400 points
  4. $20,000/400 points
  5. $13,750/300 points
  6. $13,750/300 points
  7. $10,000/200 points
  8. $10,000/200 points
  9. $7,500/0 points
  10. $7,500/0 points

North America

  1. $35,000/800 points
  2. $35,000/800 points
  3. $20,000/400 points
  4. $17,500/400 points
  5. $10,000/300 points
  6. $10,000/300 points
  7. $7,500/200 points
  8. $7,500/200 points

BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America

There are eight teams participating on the other side of the Atlantic. They are split into two round-robin groups with four teams each. All games are Bo1 and as per BLAST tradition - ties are an option. A team receives three points for a win and one point for a draw. Top three teams proceed to the playoffs, last-placed is eliminated. The main goal is BLAST Premier Spring Grand Finals North America qualification and with three empty slots in total, there is not going to be a final game here. Instead, the third-placed match will serve as a conclusion, deciding the final participant in the finals.

The BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America groups are:

Group A

  1. Chaos Esports Club
  2. FURIA Esports
  3. Gen.G Esports
  4. Made in Brazil

Group B

  1. 100 Thieves
  2. Cloud9
  3. Evil Geniuses
  4. Triumph

Stay tuned for constant BLAST Premier Spring Showdown North America updates within this article!

Don't forget to check out our BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe coverage hub!