🇪🇺 FaZe (#38) vs defending Rivals champs 🇧🇷 FURIA (#8)

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group B · LB QF
Apr 30 · 23:00 UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇪🇺 FaZe — 14%
🇧🇷 FURIA — 86%

🕹 Worth knowing

1. 🇧🇷 FURIA come in stinging — they were tournament favourites in Group B and got upset 2-1 by GamerLegion in their opener. KSCERATO led the team with a 1.22 rating, but couldn't carry it alone. Their title defence is on the brink.

2. 🇪🇺 FaZe lost their opener to NAVI 0-2 — debut series with the new Twistzz-led, neityu-stand-in lineup. New head coach enkay J onboard. frozen at 1.07 was the only player above 1.00 across the match.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #FURIA #FaZe

🇺🇦 NAVI (#2) vs 🇩🇪 GamerLegion (#19)

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Group B · UB SF
Apr 30 · 23:00 UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇺🇦 NAVI — 80%
🇩🇪 GamerLegion — 20%

🕹 Worth knowing

1. 🇺🇦 NAVI rolled FaZe 2-0 in their opener with makazze on a 1.46 rating — currently #3 globally by Player VRS. They're chasing the trophy that, by Aleksib's own words, would still feel "not fully deserved" without beating 🇪🇺 Vitality.

2. 🇩🇪 GamerLegion just took out defending Rivals champs 🇧🇷 FURIA 2-1 — the upset of Day 1. PR led the server with a 1.31 rating in that match.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #NAVI #GamerLegion

🇧🇷 FURIA equalized the score - now we are waiting for D-sider Nuke!

👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=bdktWpFb6C4

#Furia #Faze

🇪🇺 FaZe (#38) take down defending Rivals champs 🇧🇷 FURIA 2-1 to send the title holders home!

The 14/86 forecast flipped hard.
FaZe took Dust 2 13-4, FURIA answered on Mirage 13-7, and FaZe closed it on Nuke 13-3 - the most one-sided map of the series.

🏆 frozen 1.34 led the way for the new-look 🇪🇺 FaZe - first big result with Twistzz at IGL and neityu standing in. molodoy 1.18 the only FURIA player above 1.00.

🕹 VRS impact:
🇪🇺FaZe +34.7, jumping #38 → #27.
🇧🇷FURIA drop -22.0, falling #8 → #10 and out of the tournament.

FURIA's title defence is over. FaZe's debut series with the new lineup ends 0-1, but the second one - against the actual Rivals champs - is a 2-1.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #FaZe #FURIA

🇺🇦 NAVI close out Group B with a clean 2-0 over 🇩🇪 GamerLegion to book the upper bracket final.

Mirage went 13-10, Ancient was a stomp at 13-4. The 80/20 forecast played out - though Mirage was tighter than the gap suggested.

🇺🇦 w0nderful 1.97 - absolutely unreal performance, top of the server by a mile.
🇩🇪 REZ 1.10 the lone bright spot for GL.

🇺🇦 NAVI +6.5, holding #2. 🇩🇪 GL drop -4.8 but stay at #19.

GamerLegion drop to the lower bracket. NAVI move on.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #NAVI #GamerLegion

🎙 frozen on whether he'd have followed 🇩🇰 karrigan to 🇩🇰 Falcons

"Nah, come on, bro. Come on!"

In the same interview he also pushed back on the way the exit went down - frozen suggested karrigan signed a big new contract and then walked.

🕹 Worth knowing:
Karrigan officially left FaZe for Falcons on April 20, 2026 after a 5-year spell that brought the org its first Major (Antwerp 2022). FaZe missed IEM Cologne Major after a poor qualifying campaign — which directly preceded karrigan's exit.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#FaZe #frozen #karrigan

🇫🇮 Aleksib on what 🇽🇰 makazze brings to 🇪🇺 NAVI!

"He's just fearless, and that energy lifts the whole team. In my career I've only seen a handful of rookies this confident."

🕹 Worth knowing:

1. makazze is currently #4 in the world by Player VRS at 1890 pts — only ZywOo and flameZ and Ropz are above him.

2. He went 1.46 in NAVI's 2-0 vs FaZe to open BLAST Rivals.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#NAVI #makazze #Aleksib

🖥 Valve actually showed up in April 2026 - 7 CS2 updates in one month, and not just bug fixes!

🕹 Headline drops:

1. AnimGraph 2 — full animation system overhaul, packet sizes down 33% on send / 9% on receive

2. Cache officially back after 7 years (Apr 28)

3. Dust 2 Mid Box uncovered — Valve note: "on purpose this time"

4. Recoil camera & aim punch tuned closer to CS:GO feel

Plus: AnimGraph 2 fixes | sound mix changes | and post-Cache bug patches!

👉 cs2analytics.com

#Valve

🇺🇦 NAVI just dropped their EWC 2026 jersey - and it's gorgeous!

"From the depths to the stage." Aqua-blue colourway, water textures, gold accents. One of the cleanest kits the team has put out in years.

👉 https://x.com/natusvincere/status/2050198644511359018

#NAVI #EWC2026

🇺🇦 Big NAVI announcement - they've signed a 6th player!

Apparently the entire 🌊 underwater world is now repping Natus Vincere. The new EWC 2026 jersey said it loud: "From the depths to the stage."

🕹 The signing breakdown:
- VRS rating: #0 globally
- Points: 1,000,000+
- Rating: 0.00 (zero deaths recorded)
- Region: Atlantic / Pacific / Indian (cross-region eligibility)

Welcome to the roster🔥

👉 cs2analytics.com

#NAVI #EWC2026

🏆Playoffs are here - 🇪🇺 G2 (#12) vs new-look🇪🇺 FaZe (#28)!

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Playoffs
May 1 · 10:30 PM UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇪🇺G2 — 73%
🇪🇺FaZe — 27%

🕹 Worth knowing

1. G2 enter the bracket on a high — 2-0 over Astralis to open the tournament. Last trophy lifted at BLAST Open Fall 2025 with the same core (huNter, malbsMd, MATYS, HeavyGod, SunPayus).

2. FaZe lost their debut to NAVI 0-2, but bounced back with a 2-1 over defending Rivals champs FURIA. frozen 1.34 led that one. Twistzz at IGL, neityu standing in.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #G2 #FaZe

🇪🇺 FaZe debuted with a loss to 🇺🇦 NAVI (0-2) - and bounced back by knocking out defending Rivals champs 🇧🇷 FURIA (2-1) the next day.

It's the new-look lineup's first big result: Twistzz at IGL, neityu standing in, enkay J as new head coach. frozen led the server at 1.34 in the upset.

🕹 +34.7 VRS pts, jumping #38 → #27 globally.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #FaZe

🇽🇰 makazze isn't just 🇺🇦 NAVI's hot rookie - he's the best Ancient player on tier-1 LANs in 2026 by rating.

Top rifler ratings on Ancient at tier-1 LANs this year:

1. 🇺🇦 makazze - 1.40
2. 🇩🇰 Staehr - 1.38
3. 🇩🇰 HeavyGod - 1.37
3. 🏴‍☠️ donk - 1.37
5. 🇩🇰 jabbi - 1.32
5. 🇲🇰 kyxsan - 1.32
7. 🇨🇦 Twistzz - 1.29
8. 🇧🇦 NiKo - 1.28
8. 🏴‍☠️ m0NESY - 1.28
10. 🇧🇷 cobrazera - 1.23

🧐 Worth knowing:
🇺🇦 b1t already leads the world among B-anchors on Ancient (+6.6% Hold Above Average). Now 🇺🇦 NAVI also have the highest-rated rifler on the same map. No coincidence the team's been carrying so much weight on 🗺 Ancient this season.

🕹 Source: HLTV stats, tier-1 LANs 2026

🕹 Global VRS standings - May 1, 2026.

🇪🇺 Vitality - 2076 (+13)
🇺🇦 NAVI - 1898 (-5)
🇩🇰Falcons - 1833 (+64) ↑3
🇩🇰 Astralis - 1832 (+143) ↑6
🇷🇸 Spirit - 1819 (+98) ↑4
🇪🇺 FUT - 1817 (+198) ↑6
🇲🇳 The MongolZ - 1801 (+54) ↑1
🇷🇺PARIVISION - 1758 (-40) ↓5
🇷🇺Aurora - 1749 (-28) ↓4
🇪🇺 MOUZ - 1744 (-25) ↓3

🕹 Worth knowing

- FUT's +198 is the biggest single-week gain in the top 10 — Bucharest trophy + Vitality scare at BLAST Rivals.

- Astralis surged +143 / 6 spots after their Bucharest GF run and BLAST Rivals revenge over FUT.

- Falcons crack the top 3 for the first time with the new karrigan-led lineup — without playing this week.

- PARIVISION drop hardest, falling 5 spots out of the top 5.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#CS2 #VRS

🏆 Playoffs continue - GamerLegion (#19) vs Astralis (#4).

🏆 Tournament info
BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Playoffs
May 1 · 01:30 UTC | BO3

📊 Win chance by VRS model
🇩🇪 GamerLegion — 25%
🇩🇰 Astralis — 75%

🕹 Worth knowing

1. 🇩🇪 GL come into this hot — 2-1 upset over defending champs FURIA in their opener, then a 0-2 to NAVI in the UB final. PR led the FURIA series at 1.31.

2. 🇩🇰 Astralis on a tear — surged +143 VRS pts this week alone. Lost the PGL Bucharest grand final 1-3 to FUT, then took revenge 2-0 against the same FUT in BLAST Rivals LB QF.

The risk math: GL gain a massive +53.4 and jump #19 → #13 with the upset. Astralis only drop #4 → #6 if they fall.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #GamerLegion #Astralis

🇫🇷 apEX heads back to Texas with a track record there.

Vitality won both their last big tier-1 trips to the state - IEM Dallas 2025 and the BLAST Austin Major 2025. apEX is famously the villain at US events, and the Austin crowd's "fuck you apEX" chants only got louder as Vitality lifted the trophy. Now Fort Worth's BLAST Rivals adds a third Texas event to the streak.

🕹 Worth knowing:

🇪🇺 Vitality opened the tournament 2-1 vs 🇪🇺 FUT and 2-1 vs G2 - and yes, the crowd is already against them.

📊 Sources: HLTV, Escorenews, Liquipedia

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #apEX

🇩🇪BIG have paused their EQUIPA project "for the foreseeable future."

The reigning 🏆 ESL Impact Season 8 champions and 🕹 HLTV's Women's Team of the Year 2025 went all of 2026 with only one event under their belt - JB Pro League Female S1. After waiting five months for a women's circuit that never materialised, the org has stepped away.

Team Manager AlphaHirsch: the players will be free to pursue stream sponsorships and other earnings.

EQUIPA's last roster: 🇫🇷 ASTRA · 🇵🇱 Hanka · 🇬🇧 aiM · 🇸🇪 Emmsan · 🏴‍☠️ sosya

🇩🇪 BIG follow🇸🇪 NIP Impact and Imperial Valkyries, who exited women's CS earlier this year after the end of ESL Impact.

👉 https://x.com/BIGCLANgg/status/2050243857691164721?s=20

#CS2 #BIGEQUIPA

🏆 Upset of the playoffs - FaZe (#28) take down G2 (#12) 2-1 to book a semifinal spot at BLAST Rivals.

The 73/27 forecast flipped completely. Faze took Dust 2 13-11, G2 answered on Ancient 13-9, and Faze closed it on Mirage 16-13 in overtime.

🇪🇺 frozen ran the show on the decider:

Rating 3.0 - 1.63
ADR - 111.2
KAST - 75.9
swing per round - +3.26
K/D - 1.72.
Match-defining performance!

broky was solid in support at 1.04 / 68.6 ADR.

📊 VRS impact:
FaZe +62.2, jumping #28 → #22.
G2 drop -23.8 but hold #12.

🕹 Worth knowing

- First 🇪🇺FaZe playoff win at any tier-1 event since Budapest Major 2025 - 140 days.

- For the first time in 1000+ days,🇪🇺 G2 lost to FaZe on Mirage.

- 2026 G2 playoff wins: 2-1 Faze (HLC Belgrade) → Faze 2-1 G2 (BLAST Rivals).

- At that same Budapest Major they beat 🇺🇦 NAVI on the way to the final - and tomorrow's semi is exactly that matchup again.

🇪🇺 Head coach enkay J: "they have unreal fans who genuinely believe FaZe will win it all."

Karrigan-less FaZe make their case.

#BLASTRivals #FaZe #G2

🇪🇺 NAVI vs 🇪🇺 Vitality grand final is LIVE - and it's wild.

🏆 BLAST Rivals 2026 S1 · Grand Final · May 3 · BO3

🕹 Win chance by VRS: Vitality 61% - NAVI 39%

🔥 NAVI lead Nuke 12-9. They opened CT side with a pistol round and just kept rolling — 10-0 at one point. That's the first time in 2026 Vitality have been down 0-10 on a map.

For Vitality, this is also only the second time this year they're starting the second half down 1-11.

Two captains, two moods before the match:

🇫🇷 apEX:
"I'm never sure if I'm comfortable playing against NAVI. The stats show it, but in my head, I'm never like that. A grand final is never like the other games."

🇺🇦 Aleksib:
"We have nothing to lose. We're always doing twice the amount of work when we face them. We can't be nervous - Vitality is the final boss, so let's just enjoy it."

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

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #NAVI

🇪🇺 Vitality lead the grand final 2-0 - but not the way anyone expected.

🗺 Anubis - 13-11 for🇪🇺 Vitality, decided in the closing maps. 🇽🇰 makazze keeping 🇺🇦 NAVI alive - incredible Anubis performance, especially that final round clutch attempt that nearly stole the map back.

🇪🇺 NAVI need to win three maps in a row off Vitality's #1 form to lift the trophy. 🇷🇸 Dust 2 next.

👉 cs2analytics.com

#BLASTRivals #Vitality #NAVI