Power rankings: dupreeh picks his underdogs and favourites ahead of BLAST Bounty Season 2

"What can I say? As long as they continue their form, Vitality will enter any tournament for the next three to four months as the favourite, regardless of what happens.
They're the team to beat. The BLAST.tv Austin Major champions. By far the best team of year. Nothing seems to be stopping Vitality, and I don't see it changing any time soon. They are the clear favourite once again." - dupreeh

"There wouldn't be a case where Spirit would be left out of my top three. Spirit dared to make changes to their roster, dropping magixx for zweih, as they recognized their firepower issues after a somewhat disappointing quarter-final exit at the Austin Major.
zweih, who also attended the Austin Major with his former team, Nemiga, made a name for himself during the tournament, and was handpicked by our analyst team to be a 'rookie to look out for' and boy, oh boy did he deliver. A strong individual performance at the Major sparked Spirit's interest in the young prospect and didn't hesitate to make the, presumably, necessary change to return to their winning ways.
They are chasing Vitality, but still find themselves multiple steps behind. However, with players like sh1ro, donk and zweih, nothing is impossible for them." - dupreeh

"I don't think it's a secret by now - but I really like MOUZ. I'm a tiny bit biased, but I think their consistent showings throughout the first part of the year, earns them a position among the best three teams at the tournament.
Sure, MOUZ really do lack a true superstar. They don't have a ZywOo, and they don't have donk. But they do have a well established playbook, and great individual players who can all chime in and carry their team to victories, and the core has been together for a great while.
Their teamplay has brought them multiple grand finals, spiced up with turn-taking individual performances, so there is no doubt that MOUZ has what it takes to win tournaments, they just can't seem to overcome Vitality, who are always a few steps ahead. I do believe it's just a matter of time before they solve the issues and take hoist yet another trophy - and it might be in Malta." - dupreeh

"I actually think that NIP has made some decent changes to their roster, and has been grinding for months to get back on track. It takes time to become a good Counter-Strike team, and sometimes you have to start from scratch. NIP is a great example of how experienced players take a step back, to then grind their way back into the top tier competition.
They believe in themselves and I think this is the right tournament for them to get even better. Snappi has always had an incredible talent to develop new players and make his system work when he has the right pieces, and I think he cemented that with how he created ENCE back in the day.
He's now trying to replicate somewhat the same success with NiP, alongside strong player like sjuush and r1nkle. I think they can do damage - but it could also go south and make them lose faith in the project. I think this tournament could be a turning point for NIP - for the better or the worse." - dupreeh

"Astralis has been in shambles for almost as long as I can remember, but signing HooXi did something to the team dynamic. They've made two grand finals - lost both though - but looking at their past, this is a huge improvement.I think getting a proper captain, and a leader that plays for the team as HooXi does, has only done good things for Astralis.
I still think they have a ton of things to work on and fix, so they are by no means in a position right now - or in three months - where winning a tier one tournament is likely.
Every step in the right direction for Astralis is an improvement and that is what they should focus on. They need to grind, they need to learn from their mistakes and improve tournament by tournament, because with the legacy of the brand and the rumours around an their organization on the verge of bankruptcy, they have no time to lose.
A dissapointing early exit for Astralis in Cologne has to spark something in them coming into Bounty. They have shown that they can take on a lof of good teams, and even push the best, but they still have a long way to go. They need device and stavn more than ever, to back up the consistent players in jabbi and Staer. Spice it up with some great calls by HooXi and I believe Astralis can do some damage to even the best opposition." - dupreeh

"I still think G2 has a lot to learn. They've been through a turbulent season, first losing NiKKo, then m0NESY. Then they've tried things left and right, but nothing seemed to work.
A new coach in form of sAw and AWPer in form of SunPayus may spark new life into the team, but it's to early to tell if they need more changes. They have a solid core and very talented players, especially in the likes of malbs and HeavyGod, but the biggest questioncmark for meis huNter-'s transition to an IGL. It's not an easy task and it takes time to even come to master.
I think we could see G2 fumble early on. Sure it's bad to get eliminated early on in tournaments, but it would give G2 more time to refine their team and become a contender in a few months." - dupreeh