As their Moscow tournament comes to an end, BLAST Pro Series have announced their plans for upcoming changes in their tournament format. Starting in 2020, the new BLAST Premier will have two cycles - spring and fall - which culminate in a Global Final that will award the winning team $1 million. This will be the largest single prize ever given in Counter-Strike.
The BLAST Pro Series tournaments often come under fire for their format, which typically has six teams playing in a round-robin best-of-one group stage with no overtime. Anticlimactic ties have left many fans wanting more, and feeling disillusioned with the tournament altogether. BLAST’s first attempt at remedying this came at their Los Angeles stop, which saw the top four teams compete in semi-finals, as opposed to just the top two going straight into a grand final. The format for the Premier has not yet been announced, though BLAST states that the tournaments will feature many best-of-threes in a “competitive format.” These events will also include more teams than any prior BLAST event.
For both spring and fall, the cycle will start with a three-week event called the BLAST Premier. The 12 starting teams will be divided into three groups of four, each group playing over the course of a week. The top two teams from each group will move onto the BLAST Premier Final, while the bottom two will have another chance at the BLAST Showdown. The Showdown will see the bottom six teams from the previous leg of the circuit meet up with four new teams. The top two teams from the Showdown will advance to the BLAST Premier Final. The Final will pit those eight remaining teams against each other, all vying for the lion’s share of the $1,375,000 prize pool. Eight teams will then meet at the BLAST Global Final, which will be played over the course of one week. The winning team will take home $1 million, the largest single prize ever in CS:GO.
BLAST have not disclosed any invited teams, though the announcement video states that some participating teams will soon be revealed. BLAST also explicitly states that “any team can qualify,” and that there will be multiple ways to qualify for the events. The announcement page provides a place for teams to sign up if they wish to compete for a spot in the circuit.
The next stop on BLAST's current tournament schedule will take them to Copenhagen, Denmark, in November. The upcoming Global Final will take place in December in Bahrain.