BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Results

The opening day was disastrous for some teams that we had rather high in our Paris Major power rankings pre-tournament. Namely Liquid and MOUZ, who started the BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage in a disastrous 0:2 fashion.

At the top, CS:GO Major 2023 favorites FaZe and G2 provided no surprises, and went 2:0 in comfortable wins across the board. There was certainly one shock package here. Apeks, a team that many saw leaving the Paris Major CS:GO tournament early, went 2:0, with a crazy 16:0 match against Grayhound to top it all off.

It was a mixed bag for teams like Monte and FORZE. Both were expected to put up a strong fight in the BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage, and finishing the first day 1:1 was a strong place to start.

Day two of the BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage certainly had a few more shocks in store. At the top, a resurgent ENCE toppled FaZe, cementing themselves for the Legends Stage. After FaZe’s disastrous RMR performance, the seeds of doubt were beginning to set in for the CS:GO Major 2023 hopefuls. G2 also confirmed their place, with Apeks finally reaching their limit.

The 1:1 bracket wasn’t much to write home about, although Grayhound putting themselves at 2:1 to need just a single win for qualification was huge news.

Meanwhile at the bottom, Liquid finally picked themselves out of their slump. It was a nervous moment for Pick’Ems everywhere, as the most popular 0:3 choice, Fluxo, faced the prospect of eliminating one of the favorite choices to qualify in Liquid. CS:GO players everywhere could be heard exhaling as Liquid sorted themselves out in the big moment. Meanwhile, MOUZ were eliminated 0:3, too. This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament so far, with much being made about the squad pre-Major.

The third day was when things really started to heat up in the BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage. Now, every game was huge CS:GO news. It was either for a place in the Legends Stage, or a fight to stay alive in the competition.

The top bracket saw FaZe overcome any threat of throwing their strong position away, putting themselves in the next stage of the Paris Major CS:GO tournament. Meanwhile, NIP were a step too far for Grayhound, but Apeks did manage to beat paiN Gaming, becoming arguably the most surprising Legends Stage contestants in a very long time.

The battle down in the 1:2 matches was not as scrappy as you expect. The MongolZ vs Monte and Complexity vs Liquid were never really close, with Monte and Liquid earning themselves one last shot at greatness. That said, GamerLegion vs OG was taken right to the wire, with OG eventually eliminated. It’s a result that surely ruined many Pick’Ems out there.

On the final day of the BLAST.tv Paris Major Challengers Stage, there were just three games. For the six teams competing, it was all or nothing. Emotions were high for the teams, who wanted the CS:GO Major 2023 to be a glorious sendoff for the game.

The first match was a huge shock. After FORZE went 2:1, it seemed unthinkable that they wouldn’t squeeze through. Especially after they came so close against FaZe. But on the day, GamerLegion wanted it more, and were rewarded with a spot in the Legends Stage.

Monte vs paiN Gaming had everything. Anubis was up first, a map that Monte hadn’t lost in 15 matches. The Brazilians didn’t care, stealing the first map away from Monte. Up next was Nuke, paiN Gaming’s map pick. Monte absolutely dominated, taking it 16:1 and leveling the series. The final map on Mirage was one of the best games we’ve seen all tournament, with Monte spearheaded by sdy completing the reverse sweep.

Finally, Liquid saved themselves from embarrassment against Greyhound. It was an impressive turnaround from day one, when it seemed as though the NA team were going home. Ultimately, Grayhound just couldn’t deal with Liquid’s firepower.