BLAST has revealed the on-camera talent lineup for the upcoming BLAST Premier Spring Series. The Spring Series will be the first season of the organizer’s revamped Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament circuit. Many familiar names will appear on the BLAST Premier broadcast, including Auguste “Semmler” Massonnat and Duncan “Thorin” Shields.
The BLAST Premier will see twelve teams split into three groups of four, with each group competing over the course of one week. Group A will begin their week of competition at the end of January, facing off in a double elimination format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Spring Final, while the bottom two will be given another chance at the Spring Showdown. The top two teams from the Showdown will qualify for the Final, where eight teams will fight for the lion’s share of a $1,500,000 prize pool.
The BLAST Premier Spring Series broadcast will be led by desk host Auguste “Semmler” Massonnat. Semmler boasts an extensive resume as a CS:GO commentator, though stepped away from the scene in 2017 to join the Overwatch League. He made a few brief appearances at BLAST CS:GO events since his departure, casting at Lisbon 2018, Copenhagen 2018 and 2019, and the 2019 Global Final. Semmler recently left the Overwatch League broadcast team, and now makes a return to CS:GO.
The Premier desk will be bolstered by staple CS:GO analyst Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill and community favorite Duncan “Thorin” Shields. Thorin worked only five events as an analyst in 2019, appearing on-air at StarSeries Season 7, ESL One Cologne, and the StarLadder Berlin Major, among others.
The tournament’s games will be commentated by duos Anders Blume and Jason “moses” O’Toole, and Conner “Scrawny” Girvan and Mohan “launders” Govindasamy. James Banks will interview players on-stream, while David “prius” Kuntz will control the in-game observing. The event’s stage host is yet to be announced.
The BLAST Premier features some of the best CS:GO teams in the world, including Astralis, Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and Team Vitality. The circuit kicks off on January 31st, with Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and MIBR facing off against each other. Group B will begin competition on February 7th, and Group C will start on February 14th.
Source: BLAST Premier
