NA-Talks: Week 2 - BLAST Spring
Topic: CS:GO NA-Roster Debuts
Over the weekend we got to see some great Counter-Strike in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups. BLAST is a S-tier tournament featuring some of the worlds best teams, like Na’vi, G2, and Vitality. Among those juggernauts, are the new North American rosters of Complexity, Evil Geniuses, and everyone's hope for NA, Team Liquid.

New Members, New look, Same Salt
With great prospects and a bit more time to prepare for this event, better things were expected. And as expected, Complexity did play better; unfortunately, it was just not enough. With a close Nuke match against G2 esports, only losing 16-12, Complexity played well despite their shortcomings. After their loss, they faced BIG in the Lower bracket first round, the same opponent the Extra Salt core faced in the Funspark ULTI 2020 final. Sadly, in similar fashion to the Funspark final, Complexity fell to the German squad, losing to BIG on Nuke 16-10. Overall, Complexity looked shaky, but brought an exciting play style; and with a handful of close games against top competition, the team looks like it could be a serious threat given enough time to grow.
The Heroes of NA Return
That being said, with Stewie coming in to IGL a new team, and autimatic returning from a nearly year long stint in Valorant, the team can’t be expected to be a championship contender just yet. Despite the rust and new environment for all the players, EG looked as if they improved their play as each round passed. In their first official match together, they played the worlds Number three team, Vitality. The French squad dismantled EG with an easy win on Inferno, ending with a 16-3 scoreline. Regardless of a horrible opening game for the Americans, they then had to face off against their region's own, Team Liquid.
In yet another match on Inferno, EG looked to improve by the round—eventually winning the first half 10-5. In an exciting second half that led to overtime, Evil Geniuses, in spite of their best efforts, fell to Liquid 17-19 in a derby match that proved NA had another top dog. Even though EG went 0-2 in their group, they showed great improvement in their teamplay in the span of just a few hours, leaving time to tell how great they can be with just a few months working together.
A Fluid Debut
Liquid looked formidable against their first tier-one opponent, but now had to play their North American counterpart, Evil Geniuses, in the lower bracket. Detailed previously, the match took place on Inferno, and saw Liquid take it in OT 19-17, however in that match we witnessed something special out of Liquids rookie oSee. The 22 year old star put on a show, boasting a statline of 30-19, topping the server in frags, and receiving match MVP. Looking to continue their winning ways after a strong performance, Liquid once again had to face off against FaZe.
The EU/NA mix roster looked deflated in the first half, going down 11-4, but somehow willed their way back into the match. With some great calls from their IGL Finn "karrigan" Andersen, and some insane individual plays from their riflers, FaZe took it to OT. In their third overtime match of the evening, Liquid played well, but in time, fell to FaZe 19-17. Even though they placed third in their group, the team looked strong and could have won any of their matches if certain scenarios went just a bit different.
NA's Finest Prospect
What to expect?
