A custom gaming keyboard backlit with red LED lights waits for tactile input before Manual took on Boone County in a Rocket League match, which was streamed on YouTube on Thursday, March 5, 2020. Natus Vincere won two maps in overtime and emerged with a 2-1 victory over paiN Gaming in the quarterfinals of the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 event on Friday in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In the day’s other quarterfinal match, Eternal Fire swept Team Vitality 2-0.
The first S-tier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event of the new year features eight teams in a single-elimination bracket. The quarterfinals and semifinals are best-of-three, and the grand final on Sunday will use a best-of-five format. Participating teams are competing for a $500,000 prize pool.
On Friday, Natus Vincere opened with a 16-13 overtime win on Dust II before paiN equalized with a 13-7 victory on Nuke. NaVi took the decisive third map, Mirage, 16-13 in overtime.
Ukraine’s Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov paced Natus Vincere with 64 kills and a plus-15 kill-death differential. Brazil’s Joao “snow” Vinicius led paiN with 62 kills and a plus-14 K-D differential.
Eternal Fire downed Vitality 13-9 on Anubis, 13-11 on Mirage. Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dortkardes posted 44 kills and a plus-20 K-D differential for Eternal Fire, while Great Britain’s William “mezii” Merriman put up 33 kills and a plus-1 K-D differential for Vitality.
In the semifinals on Saturday, G2 Esports will oppose Eternal Fire, and Team Spirit will meet Natus Vincere.
–Field Level Media
