BLAST switches out NRG for Showdown
Due to the expected schedule clash for the 2024 Perfect World Shanghai Major North American Closed Qualifier and the 2024 BLAST Premier Fall Showdown, NRG will no longer head to Europe to compete for a shot in the Fall Final.
The BLAST Premier Fall Showdown is expected to run from August 21st through August 25th, with the Shanghai Major NA Closed Qualifier starting the following day on the 26th.
NRG feels that there is simply too much on the line should the organization make it to the final day of the single-elimination competition for them to guarantee their attendance for the qualifier with a Major on the line.
Rival organization M80 will replace NRG as they finished as runners-up in the North American qualifier. Additionally, they are one of the few teams from the region that might be able to skip the Closed Qualifier portion and go directly to the RMR in Shanghai later this November.
"It’s never a nice feeling to replace a team who we lost to in a qualifier," said team coach Rory "dephh" Jackson to Dust2.us. "But we are looking forward to representing NA at BLAST, a first for a lot of the players on the team."
The squad currently sits 8th in Valve's Americas regional ranking, which gives them the final berth for the LAN competition; however, their attendance is not yet guaranteed.
It is entirely possible that M80 will have to play in August's Closed Qualifier, taking into account the point degradation in Valve's formula.
The organization is currently preparing to fly to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Esports World Cup, where they will have the chance to earn valuable points ahead of the August 7th cut-off date.
