We’re well into the Playoffs at the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 in Abu-Dhabi now, with just a few more games to go before we crown the winner of the final Tier 1 CS2 tournament in 2023.
Two banger match-ups are coming up tomorrow, with FaZe taking on MOUZ on one side of the bracket and Vitality going head-to-head with NAVI on the other. Let’s take a look at the upcoming matches!
FaZe vs MOUZ
Of the two matches in the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 Semi-Finals, FaZe vs MOUZ is the one we’re looking forward to most. There are a few different narratives in play here, the most obvious of which is the frozen connection. FaZe picked up frozen from MOUZ to replace the departing Twistzz to Liquid, bringing a four-year association with the team to an end. Now, MOUZ has the chance to show him that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
Since the start of CS2, MOUZ and FaZe have been frequent competitors. The teams faced off at the Thunderpick World Championship, as well as twice at the CS Asia Championships 2023. FaZe have come out on top every single time. For MOUZ, this is about revenge, but for FaZe, it’s about maintaining the status quo.
It’ll be interesting to see what maps come out during the Semi-Finals. Two of the three matches between these teams have seen Mirage, Nuke, and Overpass picked, with the other being a Vertigo, Nuke, and Ancient pick. One thing is for sure – we’re seeing Nuke tomorrow.
Vitality vs NAVI
Truthfully, we expect Vitality vs NAVI to be a pretty one-sided affair. Vitality won the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023 a few weeks back, continuing what has been an incredible year for the team. In fact, they’ve already beaten NAVI in the opener of the tournament, and have never really looked threatened at any point so far.
The big positive for Vitality so far has been mezii. He looked to be a weak point during his first tournament for the team, but has quickly found his place to put up some fantastic numbers in Abu-Dhabi so far. If not for ZywOo, mezii would certainly be a shoo-in for tournament MVP if Vitality can go all the way.
Credit: Michał Konkol | © BLAST
When these two teams faced each other a few days back, Anubis, Overpass, and Nuke were the map pool. However, NAVI’s impressive win over G2 on Inferno might see them avoid banning the map this time around. It’s certainly a map Vitality would have no problem playing, either.
If NAVI are to have any chance here, they need iM to continue stepping up. He’s had a turbulent six months on the team so far, often disappearing despite playing star roles. His impact against G2 in the Quarter-Finals of the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 was enormous, the kind of performance we expected when NAVI signed him from GamerLegion. For NAVI to beat Vitality, he’ll need to repeat the trick once again.
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