NiKo SMASH!

With a stacked lineup of semifinal matchups, the BLAST Premier Fall Final promised a weekend of elite CS – and it absolutely delivered.

The semis began with Vitality squaring off against G2. The first two maps were fairly close, with Vitality securing Anubis and G2 answering back with a win on Dust 2.

Until the decider, it was business as usual – just m0NESY doing what m0NESY does.

The real fun started on Mirage. With the score pretty much tied, NiKo found himself in a 1v5 situation. One headshot after another, he was somehow able to turn it into a 1v1 against apEX. But just as it seemed like he was about to pull off the impossible, NiKo whiffed the final kill.

In pure frustration – losing the clutch to apEX of all people - he slammed his desk with such force that he broke it, injuring his hand.

After one OT, G2 emerged victorious, clinching their spot in the Final, with NiKo even posing for a photo with his victim. Who would’ve guessed that all G2 needed to make it to a final was a blood sacrifice?

In the other semifinal, we didn’t get any broken desks – just broken hearts.

After building a solid 10-4 lead on Inferno, NAVI choked like prime Liquid and ultimately lost the map, marked by several highlights, including this one by broky.

The stage was set for a G2 vs. FaZe rematch, but NAVI said ‘our turn now’, as they pulled off a comeback from a 10-4 deficit to secure Ancient. A ridiculous w0nderful clutch saved them from OT and took the series to Anubis.

As for the decider, if you blinked, you probably missed it.

In anticlimactic fashion, NAVI steamrolled FaZe 13-2, riding high on jL’s remarkable 2.25 rating performance.

In the end, the stage was set for a banger of a final…

A s1mple solution

How do you make your team better? Well, that’s s1mple!

s1mple has joined Falcons on loan for the second time this year, this time for 3 months. He’s joining the team as the AWPer, with SunPayus being benched for his roster spot. This still doesn’t solve Falcon's problem of not having a rifle star. Fortunately for them, NiKo is coming. Just right around when s1mple’s loan expires.

It makes you wonder if this loan is only the beginning.

It wouldn’t surprise us if Falcons were still targeting someone like m0NESY, but it feels pretty likely that this loan will be made permanent. s1mple only needs to show 75% of what he’s capable of to be an obvious signing for the Saudi-backed org. Plus for a team like Falcons where reputation matters, his name might be enough.

Though, as pointed out by NER0, his addition does raise more questions.

How does this future-proof the team? How will the egos mesh? Especially when NiKo comes in. What does this mean for Snappi? This line-up goes against everything that’s worked for him historically. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him replaced soon, either for a superstar IGL or for someone who can fit a role on the team and let Magisk IGL. Please sign gla1ve, we know you want to.

This team obviously has all the players to be good, but it doesn’t feel like Falcons care about winning. They’re here to sportswash, and they’re doing an excellent job at that.

As for right now Falcons are:

🇩🇰 Snappi
🇩🇰 Magisk
🇩🇰 dupreeh
🇺🇦 s1mple
🇲🇦 Maden

The Aleksib conundrum

If toast always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet, does a piece of toast tied to a cat cause perpetual motion?

If Aleksib always beats his old teams but always loses BO5s…

The answer is, somehow, G2 quite comfortably beat NAVI in the Grand Final and turn the best team in the world into a cold, wet puddle on the Royal Arena floor.

That’s a little hyperbolic, though at one point, it did look like G2 were going to demolish NAVI - when they went up 9-1 on map three, already 2-0 up, it looked for all the world like G2 were just going to cruise to victory, but w0nderful somehow won a 1v2 to turn the tides.

No, seriously. Somehow. This is… this is divine intervention.

NAVI did mount a massive comeback in map three to bring us to a fourth, and it felt like maybe, just maybe, that was the moment that fate once more cruelly switched up on NiKo and friends — alas, it was not.

Though NiKo and m0NESY took many of the plaudits, understandably, it was the new kid malbsMd who went supernova on Inferno, stacking up multiple highlight rounds and stitching together 13 for G2 when things felt like they were on the ropes.

m0NESY though, man.

If there was any doubt as to who the best player in the world is, m0NESY quickly ended the discussion. He was like 2018 s1mple. It’s been a long, long time since an AWPer felt quite as dominant as m0NESY does.

He was absolutely everywhere, topping the ratings on the first three maps for G2 and finishing second on Inferno, and it felt like it. He was oppressive, like desert heat, or being sat on by Snax. Fittingly, he ended it all with a 1v2.

Speaking of Snax, it must feel incredible for him. Openly doubted by seemingly everyone who matters, and he’s bottom fragged his way to a victory over the best team in the world to win a trophy.

Doesn’t get much better than that.

Final standings:

1st 🇪🇺 G2 Esports – $200.000 & Blast Premier World Final Qual
2nd 🇪🇺 NAVI – $85.000
3-4th 🇪🇺 FaZe – $40.000
3-4th 🇪🇺 Vitality – $40.000
5-6th 🏳️ Liquid – $20.000
5-6th 🇷🇺 Spirit – $20.000
7-8th 🇩🇰 Astralis – $10.000
7-8th 🇩🇰 Falcons – $10.000

🦸 Have no fear, ESIC is here!

🫦 “W rizz”. That’s what they say, righ?

🕰️ Some things never change

This TL;DR was written by aizyesque, shoko, Horizzon and napz.
Crash_ coded the email and copy edited.

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