The Blast Premier Spring Showdown returns to North America from April 27 to May 1, kicking off a rare regional event in NA.
As is usual for Blast events, the most important thing at the event is the Blast Premier points. These are vital for every single team, as they’ll need to collect points to qualify for the World Finals, which has become one of the biggest events of the competitive calendar. With teams gaining points depending on their placement, every single match will have a bit more on the line than usual - so we can expect some very exciting games.
Before we dive into the details of the event, make sure to brush up on your CS with our Counter-Strike betting guide – and let’s dive right in.
Who’s Playing At Blast Premier Spring Showdown North America?
Being a regional event, the Blast Premier Spring Showdown NA will feature just eight teams. This includes all of the best teams in the region, such as Team Liquid, Furia, Complexity, MiBR, and others.
Most teams at the event earned their spot through some tough competition, be it their performance at Blast Spring earlier in the year, or through direct qualifier tournaments.
As the event features just eight teams, it’s set to be short and sweet. It kicks off directly in a single-elimination playoff, with each match having everything on the line. Just one series loss spells elimination for every team and the last one standing claims the Blast Premier Spring Showdown NA crown.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Furia | +110 |
| Team Liquid | +175 |
| Complexity | +900 |
| MiBR | +900 |
| Godsent | +1400 |
| Evil Geniuses | +1400 |
| Pain Gaming | +1800 |
| Sharks | +7500 |
Odds as of April 19 at Sportsbook
Furia Aim To Continue Being North American Frontrunners
Furia enter as +110 favorites for Blast Premier Spring Showdown North America, which signifies implied odds of 47.62% according to our Super Calculator, and it’s easy to see why.
The Brazilian squad has been the best in the region for some time. They are the highest-ranked North American team (at 8th in the HLTV world rankings) and have seen the best results of any team at this event.
Most recently, Furia won the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Americas RMR without dropping a single match, as well as finishing at a respectable 3-4th at ESL Pro League - losing only to eventual champions FaZe.
All in all, Furia are a definite favorite here and it would be very surprising to see anyone take them down. In fact, odds of +110 even seem a bit too high considering Furia’s form and level compared to the competition.
Can Team Liquid’s New Squad Finally Come Together?
Team Liquid are one of the only teams that really have the potential to rival Furia. Bookmakers put them just behind the Brazilians in the odds, with Liquid being the only other team to see some sort of international success.
They took down BIG and Heroic at the ESL Pro League and have been fairly dominant against their regional counterparts, other than Furia. The roster also has a lot of potential, having signed Nitro, Shox, and oSee at the start of the year, giving Liquid a strong mix of experience and talent.
However, the roster hasn’t quite looked up to scratch just yet. While the players definitely have what it takes to be the best of the best (and most even have been at one point in their careers), they haven’t reached that potential.
The majority of Liquid matches see individual mistakes, poorly executed strategies, and rough around the edges tactics. This could be due to the team still being relatively new, or simply the players not fitting together well. It’s difficult to tell, but if Liquid can iron out their issues, they could easily challenge for the top spot in North America.
Can The Underdogs Overcome NA’s Massive Skill Gap?
Even a quick glance at the odds shows that, when it comes to team’s levels, there’s a serious imbalance in North American Counter-Strike. Fuira and Liquid enter at +110 and +175 respectively, meanwhile, the next team, Complexity, see odds of +900.
This, essentially, means there’s almost no way we don’t see one of the two favorites take the trophy. This isn’t the case in other regions and, unfortunately, spells trouble for the underdogs.
Currently, outside of the big two, NA CSGO teams are simply missing one or two things that can make them contenders. All of them have very good players on an individual level, but things like experience, steady practice against the best, or a proper support structure are lacking for the underdogs.
This makes it very hard for them to catch up to the best teams and, as such, we probably won’t be seeing too many upsets here. There may be some close games, but the favorites currently have an edge over the underdogs and, odds are, we’re in for a Furia vs Team Liquid final.
