Liquid's new team debuts with a huge win: Fall Groups day three recap

BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 day three is now all said and done meaning we have now seen the debut of every new team at the event.

The final team to debut, Liquid, pulled off a huge victory against G2 to begin their life together, while we also saw the NA teams trade their opponents from day one to both receive disappointing losses.

Liquid start strong

A lineup met with much intrigue, today's game against G2 marked the first time that Liquid as an organisation will feature a team with a European core. A hard team for them to go up against off the bat, they looked relatively comfortable and like they had bene playing together for a far longer period of time.

Both Rainwaker and Patsi settled in well, the new duo finished the series with 55 and 65 kills apiece as they both settled into their new roles. Mr Consistent NAF was the real star for Liquid, however, once again asserting why he is one of the best players in the world as he racked up 70 kills over the three maps.

On the side of G2, NiKo put in a masterclass performance to help his side claim an overtime victory on their map pick of Mirage. His individual scoreline of 37-26 far exceeded any other man on the server. jks and m0NESY also performed reasonably well, although huNter- will be disappointed he couldn't do more to turn the result in his teams favour.

A 2-1 victory for Liquid, it promises big things for what this roster will be capable of in the future. Their Ancient looked very strong, while the win on the decider map of Vertigo displayed YEKINDAR's comfort as an IGL and the teams composure to close out games against big sides.

Photo: Michal Konkol

Vitality tear apart Complexity

With EliGE starring as Complexity won a closely contested battle against NIP on day one, it looked as if the NA team was finally ready to take their next steps as a roster. The real test, however, was always going to come in this match against NAVI, and it's a test that they failed dismally.

Kicking it off with a 16-1 loss on Inferno, it wasn't until round 15 that Complexity even managed to get their first T side round on the board. Spinx was a constant threat on the A site with 20 kills in the first half, although as the scoreline suggests, Complexity didn't fare much better when they avoided him either.

Map two, another destructive performance from Vitality, saw Complexity obliterated 16-6. ZywOo was the one to surpass 20 kills that time, while only floppy was able to register even a neutral KD on the side of the NA squadron as he finished 16-16.

A swift return to reality for Complexity, it proves there's still plenty of work for them to do if they hope to ascend to becoming a top NA team in the way Liquid did before them. As for Vitality, they continue to look a frightening prospect for any team as once again they close out a best of three without letting their opponents get double figure rounds on either map.

Photo: Michal Konkol

headtr1ck stars to eliminate EG

NIP would have been disappointed by their loss on the opening day to Complexity, although they will be pleased to have bounced back with a win here against Evil Geniuses. The weakest team at the event, they were the perfect team for the Swedes to face in order to try and build up momentum and keep their hopes of qualify for Fall Final alive.

The first map, Inferno, needed a double overtime in order to find a winner, but as headtr1ck earned himself 43 kills, there was only ever one outcome. A 22-20 victory, both HexT and autimatic went positive on the side of EG, but it wasn't enough to stop the onslaught by the young Ukrainian marksman.

autmatic had an even better peformance on Vertigo with a 24-19 statline, and his new captain Walco stepped up with a 20-15 performance to try to aid him in victory. Sadly, it wasn't enough, and as headtr1ck continued strong and hampus top-fragged, NIP claimed map two with a 16-11 scoreline.

With that, Evil Geniuses are now eliminated from the tournament. A solid enough debut from them, their ability to keep the series with NIP competitive suggests there's a bright future ahead of them. As for NIP, they will now go on to face Complexity once again for a chance to play in the group final against Vitality for qualification.

Photo: Michal Konkol