Do BIG Stand a Chance at DreamHack Masters: Spring?

16 teams are competing in two groups to crown the winners of DreamHack Masters: Spring. BIG Clan are a part of this and will have to fight quite a few top squads in their group. How well will Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz and his men fare with this kind of competition?

The Counter-Strike scene undergoes constant chance – especially during Covid! If a team was at the top just a month ago, it can just as well bomb out in a Best-of-Three against HAVU today. This is what happened to Virtus.pro. After making the Grand Finals of IEM Katowice, they made an early exit at Funspark ULTI.

They are going up against a shaky FaZe Clan, who have still managed to mount close games against OG. In Group A, they might also face off with Gambit, who have managed to retain their level after IEM Katowice. At ESL Pro League, they also made the Grand Finals, even though they lost to Heroic then. At the BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown, they managed to set things right and got revenge on the Danes. As a result of this, they’re going into this tournament as the clear favorites once more.

However, there are many more high-tier rosters at play here. G2 Esports will have to get past Team Spirit again, whom they have already beaten at the Showdown. But the maps were exceptionally close, so they’re not guaranteed to make it again this time. Natus Vincere have a similarly tough situation against mousesports. Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and his men have been going through a rough patch for months now. Actually, s1mple is continuing to play the game of his life, but the rest of the team is unable to keep up. Even though mousesports are struggling themselves, they’re being offered a shot at a quick upset.

ASTRALIS WITHOUT DEVICE?

The biggest shocker definitely comes in the form of Nicolai “device” Reedtz. The legendary Dane, who has completed four Major victories with Astralis, is turning his back on the organization. More than half a decade has found its end here. But it gets even crazier, as device is heading for the Ninjas in Pyjamas! However, the team will make Flashpoint 3 their first event, so we’re going to wait for his debut.

This is obviously a heavy blow to Astralis. Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen will jump into the AWPer role and Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen will temporarily join the active lineup. This is a major shake-up in terms of roles and Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander has to try to get everything in order again. Only time will tell whether he can actually manage such a feat – or if they even stand a chance against the likes of Heroic and Gambit. Extra Salt, who raced all the way to the Grand Finals of Funspark ULTI against BIG, get a shot at an early upset here.

DO BIG STAND A CHANCE?

Arguably no one expected Extra Salt to reach the Grand Finals alongside BIG. But the Germans were also not considered to be title contenders, as Complexity and Virtus.pro were originally part of the equation. After the team had recorded meager and inconsistent results in the last few months, they finally seem to be getting better. Following victories over Evil Geniuses, Complexity, HAVU, forZe, and Extra Salt, they have somewhat redeemed themselves, but they have a long road ahead if they actually want to contend with Gambit and Heroic.

The same holds true for Vitality. A host of bad results has left them no other choice than to bench Cédric “RpK” Guipouy. Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van is taking on a momentous task and will barely have time to get warmed up for DreamHack Masters: Spring. Even worse, Complexity are their first opponents. Even though Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and his men aren’t putting up a consistent show, they are more than able to take on a weakened Vitality.

DreamHack Masters: Spring is the next big tournament after EPL at which we can see most of the top teams in play. Will Astralis show up in decent fashion? Can Vitality achieve anything with their new fifth man? Or will BIG finally make their way back to the top?