Fall Groups drawn: Danish derby in Group B

The player break is nearly over, and BLAST Fall Groups are almost upon us.

The off-season has been one of the most exciting of all time, with a whole host of the world's biggest teams going through roster revamps, but we're incredibly excited to get back into Counter-Strike action.

12 teams are set to converge in Copenhagen, battling it out across three groups to see who qualifies for the BLAST Premier Fall Final, and who will fall down into the Fall Showdown.

NA battle in group A

The big story of Group A will be that a new-look Evil Geniuses side will be facing off against Complexity with EliGE.

No one knows what to expect from these two teams, but an entire region will be excited to see what they have in store.

The favourite for the group will be Vitality. Having also recently made a change, the BLAST.tv Paris Major champions will also be somewhat of an unknown quantity, but with a team involving ZywOo, Spinx, and Magisk, they have enough firepower to take down anyone in the world.

Rounding out the group is NIP, now with a returning hampus. A move that potentially came as a shock to many, they reinstated their former IGL after missing out on playoffs at the Major.

One of the best IGLs in CS:GO, NIP could be a dangerous package in this group.

EliGE will look very different in a Complexity jersey. Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

B = Group of Death?

A group containing some of the biggest names in all of Counter-Strike, Group B is sure to be a bloodbath.

The favourites to take the group will be Heroic. The only team in this group to not make changes, they went into the player break having just won BLAST Spring Final.

A team that always dominates in group stages, it will be a huge upset if they don't do the same here.

To advance from the group, Heroic will have to face off against Danish rivals Astralis. A team bolstered by the arrivals of b0RUP and Staehr, they may now be without legendary IGL gla1ve, but they have a formidable replacement in blameF.

The final two teams in Group B are BIG and NAVI. All eyes will be on mantuu for BIG as the AWPer steps back onto the server with a point to prove, while the NAVI lineup is bound to be exciting as they enter an era that no one will have ever expected them to.

Heroic won Spring Final, how will they fare in Fall Groups? Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

New Liquid team debut in Group C

Group C will see FaZe and G2 face off against the new rosters of OG and Liquid.

FaZe and G2 will view themselves favourably coming into the event, with neither team making changes during the off-season.

Both teams may have displayed inconsistency throughout the year to date, but with two of the most skilled rosters in the world, they're two teams that could not just qualify from Groups but go on to win Fall Final as well.

NiKo will be a fearful presence for every team in Group C. Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

Liquid come into the event, embarking on a new era as an organisation. A stalwart of NA CS, they have left behind their roots to take on a new, majority EU roster.

As for OG, they also have a new team, and they might just be cooking with it.