BLAST Fall Groups rosters lock Monday

Editor's Note: Previously this article noted that the roster lock was Sunday. That is incorrect. The roster lock is Monday. We apologize for the error.

While some large player changes have already occurred this off-season, like G2 snatching up Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa, there still remain a few to be decided. Liquid and Cloud9 still have yet to reveal their new looks, but with BLAST Fall Groups starting soon, they will soon be contractually obligated to sign their players ahead of the event.

According to the BLAST rulebook:

A Team’s roster must be submitted to BLAST at least three (3) weeks prior to the applicable Tournament Stage. [...] BLAST shall have the right to impose Sanctions (including but not limited to financial sanctions) against any Team which does not submit their Submitted Roster within the deadlines above.

A team which fails to submit their roster in time will be automatically given the lowest seed as well as lose 25% of their potential earnings. With Valve rankings deciding the RMR and RMR Closed Qualifier invites in just a few months, winning prize money and avoiding unnecessary difficulty is paramount. This holds especially true for a team like Cloud9, who have a lot of ground to make up if they want to sneak into the Shanghai Major with a new core.

Traditionally, the BLAST roster lock is an indicator for when teams announce their lineups for the second half of the year. With some organizations like G2 participating in the Esports World Cup, whose roster lock was earlier this week, most lineups are already set in stone.

Time is quickly ticking for Liquid and Cloud9 to sign their final players. Perhaps we will see pens meet paper this Monday.