We're getting into the business end of BLAST Showdown, and the games are coming thick and fast - and with it, a few surprises on the way.

Though our first game saw a surprise narrowly missed...

BIG use all 9INE lives

It's not entirely fair to categorise 9INE as a surprise package - their rise through the ranks has been impressive, and them being able to take on and beat good teams isn't all that surprising. That said, BIG are usually reliable against lower-ranked teams, and this would be a huge scalp for them.

It started off poorly for the Poles, as BIG racked up 10 CT rounds and they really seemed to struggle to win fights. Four players had six kills or fewer at half time on the 9INE side, as the Germans raced ahead, powered largely by a superb half from hyped.

9INE, though, held strong and ground out eleven rounds of their own on the CT side to push through and steal Nuke in round 30.

Mirage was BIG's pick, and it was tight to the end. 9INE stayed in it the whole way, but much like their opponents on Nuke, faltered in the final round.

The Germans showed their class on Overpass; though 9INE won two massive clutches, BIG won relatively comfortably with a stonewall CT side.

Liquid bleed out

Team Liquid were not so lucky, and were unable to prevent themselves being upset by an underdog. A superb performance from newly-turned IGL biguzera helped paiN edge out NA's best.

Much like the BIG game, the first two maps went the way of the team who picked it in 30 rounds. Liquid were on the ropes on Anubis, but a crazy 1v3 clutch from ELiGE helped bring them back and ended up being crucial.

That came after paiN came back from a four-round T side to win Nuke in regulation, which few would have seen coming.

In this case, though, it was the underdogs who took over on the decider. Though ELiGE and NAF put up a fight, biguzera was too strong for them as he and zevy put on a CT side clinic to close out Mirage.

The end of the line for EG

Despite their impressive efforts yesterday, EG met an untimely end at the hands of vintage FalleN. It was he and boltz who teamed up to put the hurt on the plucky Americans on Vertigo, in something of a throwback.

junior - who had been so dominant yesterday - was nowhere to be seen on map one as FalleN had the freedom of the map; but he was superb on Nuke, collecting a thirty bomb in thirty rounds.

Sadly for EG, it wasn't enough to stop the wily old foxes - this time helped out by the sharp chelo, as Imperial dusted EG off in two.