Day of 2-0s: BLAST Premier Fall Showdown day one recap
Day one of BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2023 is now over, and the analyst desk was very happy - it was a day of 2-0s.
Two matches were played in our European Showdown and one from our American showdown, and already one big team was upset and crashed out of their respective event in last place.
There are three matches to get through, so let's take you through all of today's action.
BIG crush 9INE
Our day kicked off with the Germans of BIG taking on Polish squad 9INE. The two teams faced off at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2023, and once again, the game ended in a victory for BIG.
Photo: Michal KonkolStarting out on Ancient, BIG star Krimbo was in fine form on his team's map pick as he racked up a 27-11 statline and 1.99 HLTV rating in a 16-6 win. 9INE were limp, and they missed the frags of their two normal stars, KEi and hades.
BIG were just as strong on map two, which will come as a surprise to many seeing as it was on 9INE's home map of Vertigo. KEi and hades remained quiet on the side of 9INE, while tabseN and prosus both stepped up for BIG to aid Krimbo in securing their team's place in the semi-finals.
ENCE overcome slow start
Playing arguably the biggest underdog in either Showdown, ENCE had to overcome a slow start on Ancient in order to take down their Swedish foes Alliance.
8-7 in favour of the Finnish organisation at the break, Alliance began their CT half with a flurry of rounds to take a three-round lead. It would end up being in vain, however, as Nertz's 19 kills on the T side allowed ENCE to wrestle control of the map back from their opponents. The Israeli ended the map 31-16 - who said high ping was a problem?
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenSpare a thought for avid too. The 21-year-old Swede was impressive for Alliance on map one as he put in a 28-21 performance against the team currently ranked as second best in the world by HLTV.
Map two was far more one-sided. 16-6 in favour of ENCE, Nertz again starred with a 24-11 statline. SunPayus was also impressive. He picked up 21 kills of his own as he reminded everyone why he had become one of the most feared AWPers in Counter-Strike.
ENCE will now face BIG in the semi-finals.
Underdog win in the Americas
Imperial may have been playing with LUCAS1 as a stand-in, but very few would have called them falling 2-0 to Party Astronauts before the match.
A surprise victory for the NA side. They were utterly dominant on their opponent's map pick of Overpass as they stormed to a 12-3 lead. viz and Grizz starred for Party Astronauts, finishing with 23 and 24 kills apiece.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenImperial attempted to fight back on Nuke. Their 10-5 CT half put Party Astronauts firmly on the back foot, with VINI, HEN1, and felps all playing starring roles.
A team performance from Party Astronauts forced the game to overtime. All five team members went positive on their CT side, and with viz once again proving to be the star as he reached 30 kills, the game ended 19-16.