🕹 HLTV just dropped a major investigation into 🇷🇺 GamerLegion, based on accounts from nearly 20 current and former staff and players.

The report details chronic wage delays, a sticker-money dispute that nearly led players to throw the BLASTtv Paris Major 2023 final, an academy that was quietly shut down after months of unpaid wages, and a workplace culture multiple sources describe as toxic and sexist. GamerLegion's CEO denies systemic issues and says all payments have been settled.

One of the bigger CS org stories of the year.

👉 https://www.hltv.org/news/44454/inside-gamerlegion-workplace-misconduct-paris-major-sticker-drama-and-history-of-late-payments

#GamerLegion #HLTV

🇬🇧 FACEIT just dropped the Season 7 integrity report - and the numbers are wild.

- 74,715 total bans (+22% vs Season 6).
- Smurfs took the biggest hit at 47,472 (+42%),
- Traditional cheats stayed flat at 1,649 (+14%).
The real story: 😄AI-cheat bans jumped from almost nothing to 372 - a +272% spike that FACEIT calls the next big front.

And the new selfie re-check did its job - nearly 40% of flagged verified accounts failed the photo and got kicked out of matchmaking.

🕹 Worth knowing:

- AI cheats don't inject into the game like classic hacks — they read your screen and move the mouse like a human, which is exactly why old anti-cheats miss them. Season 7 is the first one where FACEIT publicly tracks them as a separate category.

- Season 8 starts April 22 with a soft ELO reset, placement matches, and an 8-map pool. Curious how clean the numbers stay once those bans are spent.

More info
👉 faceit.com/en/news/faceit-season-7-integrity-review

#FACEIT

🏆 BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 kicks off today in Fort Worth - 4 BO3s on the day!

🏆 BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group stage · Apr 29

📅 Today's matches (UTC):
- 06:00 PM - 🇪🇺 Vitality vs 🇪🇺FUT
- 08:30 PM - 🇩🇰 Astralis vs 🇪🇺 G2
- 11:00 PM - 🇪🇺 NAVI vs 🇪🇺 FaZe
- 01:30 AM - 🇧🇷 FURIA vs 🇪🇺 GamerLegion

All BO3, double-elimination GSL groups. Top 3 from each group make playoffs — group winners go straight to SF, 2nd/3rd place battle through the bracket.

🧐 Worth knowing
Every team here got in through VRS — no qualifiers, no partner spots. 🇪🇺 MOUZ, 🇷🇺 Spirit, and 🇩🇰 Falcons all turned down invites, so the field ended up as five real top-10 teams plus three underdogs. Defending champs🇧🇷 FURIA open Day 1 against the lowest-seeded team in the bracket.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals

🔥 Opening match of BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 - 🇪🇺 Vitality (#1) vs 🇪🇺 FUT (#4)

🖥 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group A
Apr 29, 06:00 PM UTC | BO3

😎 Win chance by VRS model
🇪🇺 Vitality - 65%
🇪🇺 FUT - 35%

🧐 Worth knowing

1. 🇪🇺FUT walked into Fort Worth straight off winning PGL Bucharest 2026 - their first Big Event trophy. They'll play this one without IGL lauNX, who's out for health reasons; head coach coolio steps in as stand-in.
2. 🇪🇺 Vitality, on the other hand, are riding three Big Event trophies in a row in 2026, and🇪🇪 ropz just won MVP at the last one.

A loss here doesn't even drop Vitality's ranking. A win for FUT moves them top 3.
👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #FUT

🎙 Twistzz is ready for his first match leading 🇪🇺 FaZe — and it happens to be 🇪🇺 NAVI tonight.

Speaking ahead of Day 1, he said FaZe vs NAVI matches are always a show, and even as underdogs, this is a chance to make the fans proud again.

He also recently opened up to 🕹 HLTV about 🇩🇰 karrigan's departure to 🇩🇰 Falcons — saying it wasn't handled the best way, and that the situation could've gone down in "more mature ways."

🕹 Worth knowing:
karrigan left for Falcons just over a week ago, leaving Twistzz to step in as interim IGL with neityu as stand-in. The 7% win probability is the steepest mismatch on Day 1.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #FaZe #NAVI #Falcons

🗺 Cache is officially back in CS2!

Valve dropped it overnight, playable since the April 22 update.
Time to refresh the callouts before your next queue.

📍 Callouts by zone:

A side - A Site, A Main, Squeaky, Quad, NBK, Shroud, Toxic, Fork, Lockers, Outside A, Van, New Box, Boost/Under, Pipes

Mid - Mid, Highway, Truck, White Box, Sandbags, CT, Z, CT Spawn, T, T Spawn

B side - B Site, B Main, B Halls, Outside B, Sunroom, Heaven, Tree Room, Headshot, Default, Tripple, Garage, Vent, Checkers, Snax, Useless

👉 cs2analytics.com

#Cache

🏆 Group A's second opening match — 🇩🇰 Astralis (#6) vs 🇪🇺 G2 (#12).

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group A
Apr 29 · 08:30 UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇩🇰Astralis — 60%
🇪🇺 G2 — 40%

🖥 Worth knowing

1. 🇩🇰 Astralis come in off a deep run at PGL Bucharest 2026 — they pushed FUT to a five-map grand final before falling 1-3.
2. 🇪🇺 G2 last lifted a trophy at BLAST Open Fall 2025 with this same core (huNter, malbsMd, MATYS, HeavyGod, SunPayus). Recent BO3s have been streaky — beaten by Spirit and Vitality, beat 3DMAX and Gentle Mates.

The risk math here is asymmetric: Astralis only lose -3.1 VRS pts if they go down. G2 gain +54.9 if they win — the biggest single-match swing on Day 1.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #Astralis #G2

🗺 Cache is back after 7 years — and the numbers from its peak era still hit hard.

Top 5 most-watched Cache matches ever (Esports Charts, Oct 2016 – removal 2019):

1. 🇸🇪Fnatic vs 🇩🇰Astralis — ELEAGUE Major 2017 — 785K
2. 🇧🇷 SK vs 🇩🇰Astralis — PGL Krakow 2017 — 708K
3. 🇪🇺FaZe vs 🇪🇺MOUZ — ELEAGUE Major 2018 — 674K
4. 🇷🇺VP vs 🇩🇰North — ELEAGUE Major 2017 — 550K
5. 🇧🇷 SK vs 🇷🇺VP — EPICENTER 2017 — 433K

🕹 Worth knowing:

1. Cache is set in Pripyat, Ukraine - Chernobyl skyline visible from T-spawn.

2. In the CS2 version, the s1mple graffiti is gone — the falling angel with an AWP that Valve painted on B-site to commemorate his mid-air no-scope at ESL One Cologne 2016. s1mple still has it tattooed on his shoulder.

Currently in Competitive, Casual, DM, and Retakes — expected to join Active Duty after IEM Cologne Major 2026.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#Cache

🇺🇦Passion UA officially listed their owner - 🇺🇦 Ukraine national team captain 🇺🇦 Oleksandr Zinchenko - as a substitute for IEM Atlanta 2026.

Whether he'll actually have to step in for anyone is anyone's guess.

🕹 Worth knowing:

1. Zinchenko founded Passion UA back in 2023 — the org is genuinely his.
2. IEM Atlanta runs May 11–17 in the US.

👉 https://x.com/PassionuaGG/status/2049504328084283825?s=20

#PassionUA #IEMAtlanta

🔥 First map for 🇪🇺 Vitality- next Dust 2

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Wwkt6b9GU

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #FUT

💩 BetBoom's IEM Cologne Major roster is still open - CEO Pioneer told HLTV it depends on visas.

The org has registered both d1Ledez and VP loanee FL4MUS for the event. zorte already replaced ArtFr0st as the AWPer for the season.

"For any CIS team, visas are always a major challenge."

FL4MUS plays IEM Atlanta on a valid US visa. d1Ledez is the one waiting on the Cologne decision.

👉 https://www.hltv.org/news/44475/betboom-ceo-cologne-roster-open-question-until-all-players-receive-their-visas

#BetBoom #IEMCologne

🔥 Match of the day on paper - 🇺🇦 NAVI (#2) vs 🇪🇺 FaZe (#40)!

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group B
Apr 29 · 08:00 PM UTC | BO3

😎 Win chance by VRS model
🇺🇦 NAVI — 93%
🇪🇺 FaZe — 7%

🕹 Worth knowing

1. New-look 🇪🇺 FaZe — karrigan officially left for 🇫🇷 Falcons last week, neityu joined as stand-in for the next 3 events, and Twistzz takes over IGL duties. New head coach enkay J also onboard. This is their debut series with the lineup.

2. The VRS swing is asymmetric: 🇺🇦 NAVI gain only +2.3 if they win, but FaZe pick up +98.4 and jump from #40 to #24 if they pull the upset - the biggest possible single-match move on Day 1.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #NAVI #FaZe

🇫🇷 ZywOo makes a quadruple and ties the score

What is this robot doing....🔥

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Wwkt6b9GU

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #FUT

🏆 Day 1 closer - defending Rivals champions 🇧🇷 FURIA (#8) vs 🇩🇪 GamerLegion (#22).

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group B
Apr 30 · 01:30 AM UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇧🇷 FURIA — 80%
🇩🇪 GamerLegion — 20%

🧐 Worth knowing

1. 🇧🇷 FURIA come into Fort Worth as the actual defending Rivals champs — they beat Falcons 3-1 in Hong Kong last November to win 🏆BLAST Rivals Fall 2025. That was the third trophy of a four-event run with the molodoy + YEKINDAR core.

2. 🇧🇷 FURIA's last LAN was 🏆 IEM Rio 2026, where they finished top 4 in front of a home crowd before losing the third-place match to Falcons 0-2.

3. The risk math: FURIA only lose -35.6 pts if they fall — they stay #8. 🇩🇪 GL picking this one up moves them +85.4 pts and three spots up the global table.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #FURIA #GamerLegion

🇪🇺 Vitality survive a scare - 2-1 over 🇪🇺FUT!

It was gret open the BLAST Rivals 2026 S1!

🇪🇺 FUT pushed the world #1 to three maps and snapped🇪🇺 Vitality's 16-map LAN win streak on Dust 2 in the process. Nuke decider went 13-11.

🕹 ZywOo 1.38 - dem0n 1.36 right behind him.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #FUT

🇪🇺 NAVI close out 🇪🇺 FaZe 2-0 to take Group B's opening match.

Anubis went 13-7, Ancient was tighter at 13-11. The 93/7 forecast played out clean - even with FaZe debuting their new Twistzz-led, neityu-stand-in lineup, they couldn't take a map.

🇽🇰 makazze 1.46 — top of the server. frozen 1.07 the lone bright spot for 🇪🇺 FaZe.

NAVI move on through the upper bracket. FaZe head to the lower side.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #NAVI #FaZe

🔥 First map for 🇧🇷 FURIA- next Nuke

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Wwkt6b9GU

#BLASTRivals #FURIA #GamerLegion

🇩🇪 GamerLegion drag the defending Rivals champs to a decider - Mirage to settle it.

FURIA took Inferno 13-5, but GL flipped it hard on Nuke 13-5. The 80/20 forecast just got a lot tighter.

👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Wwkt6b9GU

#BLASTRivals #FURIA #GamerLegion

🔥 Upset of Day 1 - 🇩🇪 GamerLegion (#22) take down defending Rivals champs 🇧🇷 FURIA (#8) 2-1!

The 80/20 forecast flipped. After dropping Inferno 5-13, GL ran Nuke 13-5 and closed it on Mirage 13-10 in regulation.

🌟 PR top of the server with 1.31 - KSCERATO led 🇧🇷 FURIA at 1.22 but couldn't carry it alone.

🇩🇪 GL move on through Group B winners' bracket. FURIA's title defense already on the ropes.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #GamerLegion #FURIA

🇺🇦 Aleksib drew a clear line ahead of 🇺🇦 NAVI's 🏆 BLAST Rivals run.

"We're contenders for the grand final at every tournament. The real test is always 🇪🇺 Vitality — we can beat any other team, and honestly we already have."

He went further on the trophy question:
"We'd be glad to lift one, but I don't think any trophy without beating Vitality would feel fully deserved. We want to feel we earned it."

🕹 Worth knowing:
1. 🇺🇦 NAVI have faced 🇪🇺 Vitality twice at recent big events — the BLAST Open Rotterdam grand final and the IEM Rio QF — and lost both.

2. NAVI opened BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 with a 2-0 over 🇪🇺 FaZe earlier today.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#NAVI #BLASTRivals #Aleksib