History was made this year when two UK-majority teams qualified for the BLAST.tv Paris Regional Major Ranking event. Into the Breach and Viperio will compete in Copenhagen between the 6-9th of April for a chance to qualify for a Major, a feat never achieved by a UK team before. With the RMR starting tomorrow and UKCSGO on the ground ready to provide coverage, here is the ultimate guide for the event.
Who is representing the UK?
Viperio – The UK organisation has been around for ten years, but has only recently dipped its toes into Counter-Strike one again when they picked up SOS, formerly EKO, back in October 2022. Since then, they have established themselves at the top end of the UK CS pyramid with respectable second place finishes at both ESL Premiership Autumn 2022 and Kayzr League Fall 2022. Although the squad continued to show good form, their run at both the Open and Closed Qualifiers for the RMR was nothing short of incredible.
The Cinderella story included huge wins over Tricked, 1WIN, and SAW, the latter of which secured them the final spot in the RMR. Since then the team has been preparing with their newest member, Matas “Extinct” Strumilla, and is ready to show the same underdog fighting spirit as they did to qualify.
Into the Breach – Into the Breach are an organisation that has placed itself at the very heart of the UK scene over the last year, producing not only quality teams but also initiatives that have been a positive addition to the space. Their most recent lineup only formed this February and were quick to put up impressive results. Less than a month after their formation they had already qualified for the RMR under the leadership of Thomas “Thomas” Utting.
The Brits have been on hot form heading into the RMR with wins over Endpoint, Sprout, and Viperio last month. The Polish veteran, Karol “rallen” Rodowicz, has been leading the way for ITB, posting a 1.09 HLTV rating over the 82 maps he’s played for the side. The British team will have plenty to prove in Copenhagen as they teeter on the edge of tier two, sitting at #53 in the world according to HLTV’s rankings.
Individuals representing UK – William “mezii” Merriman (fnatic), Jamie “keita” Hall (fnatic), and Ashley “ash” Battye (GamerLegion)
First round matchups
The first matchups have been announced and the two UK representatives have been dealt a difficult hand to start. Into the Breach will face off against the #4 HLTV ranked team in the world in NAVI whilst Viperio face off against British superstar mezii. Both games will be played out at the same time;
Into the Breach vs NAVI – 11:30am (BST)
Viperio vs fnatic – 11:30 (BST)
Get your calendars out and start planning your dayS 🗓️
The complete schedule for the BLAST .tv Paris Major has now been found.Down below you will find all of the RMR schedules 🧵 pic.twitter.com/6c7OjU7OmX
— BLAST.tv (@BLASTtv) March 22, 2023
A talented bunch
Not only are the UK represented in the teams at Copenhagen, but we have also dominated the talent lineup with seven Brits present at the European RMR and one present at the Asian RMR. To read all about the talent check out our article below:
