BLAST Premier makes a small but huge change to Grand Final format

After pleas from fans and pros, BLAST Premier have finally made changes to its grand finals format for Spring, Fall, and World Final. The change mentioned here is the best of five matches to decide the winner instead of the best of three.

While just a small change on paper, it holds the power to turn tides in a tournament. Counter-Strike at the time of Global Offensive had 15-round halves, which could then translate into multiple overtime. Despite that, people have been asking for this change since CSGO.

Now with CS2, the half-times are shorter, which ultimately translates in matches being shorter. Pros and fans have been urging to change the Bo3 to Bo5 and now their wish finally comes true.

BO5s are coming to BLAST! 🙌



You better keep your Sundays open as for the 2024 season, the Spring, Fall, and World Final Grand Finals will be played as Best of Fives! #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/yrm29KtT8V

— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) April 18, 2024

Why Best of Five?

Apart from the entertainment purposes of the audience, a Bo5 gives the finalists a fair shot at the prize. It provides them enough time to change their game and try and outplay their opponents. Shorter matches also affect the team’s in-game economy, making them save or force buy in inappropriate situations.

It is still possible to end the grand final in three matches during a Bo5. However, unlike Bo3, teams will not lose after facing defeat in the first two matches in a grand final they worked so hard to reach.

A Bo3 grand final would have been understandable if these Blast tournaments were lower-tier events, however, these feature some hefty rewards and pave the way for a Major event. The closest Blast Premier event currently is the Spring Final 2024 set to take place in June.

The tournament will feature a prize pool of $425,000, BLAST Premier leaderboard points and a direct invite to the World Finals. Eight legendary teams in the Counter-Strike scene have already made their way into the event. These are -

Team Vitality

FaZe Clan

Natus Vincere

Virtus.pro

Astralis

G2 Esports

SAW

Team Spirit