The new season of BLAST Bounty has begun with the selection of opponents for the first matches. This format creates an opportunity for low-ranked teams (from 17th to 32nd) to choose their opponents, bringing many elements of surprise.

Evolution of the opponent selection process

The first choice belongs to BIG, the team holding 17th place on the rankings. They chose the Portuguese team SAW. Next, Virtus.pro picked Complexity, and the other teams acted predictably by picking weaker teams from the remaining list. However, the B8 team surprised everyone by choosing G2 as their opponent. B8's captain, Andrii "⁠npl⁠" Kukharskyi, explained: "They have a lot of points, so a win would give us a significant boost in Valve's rankings. Also, they are rivals." quite favorable for us."

Another surprise pick came from Imperial as they decided to play Natus Vincere. The final match is a confrontation between Metizport, the lowest ranked team, and the highest rated team, Vitality.

First round match schedule

The first round matches will take place over four days:

January 14:

FlyQuest vs MIBR

3DMAX vs HEROIC

Liquid vs 9 Pandas

January 15:

Astralis vs Wildcard

SAW vs. BIG

Falcons vs ENCE

January 16:

Complexity vs Virtus.pro

Eternal Fire vs Fluxo

FaZe vs M80

January 17:

paiN vs GamerLegion

FURIA vs Nemiga

MOUZ vs BetBoom

G2 vs B8

BLAST Bounty Season 1 is setting a new standard for drama in esports tournaments. This format shows that not only the strength but also the team's strategy can determine the tournament result.