CS2 stars skip BLAST media day over apparent Astralis favoritism

Counter-Strike 2 players attending BLAST’s Fall Final this week are threatening to boycott the event’s media day, protesting the organizer’s decision to allow Astralis to sub in new captain cadiaN after the roster lock due to a seemingly non-existent “medical emergency.”

What was originally thought to be a joke poking fun at BLAST and Astralis has been revealed as something more, with Liquid’s Twistzz, FaZe’s karrigan, Falcons’ Snappi, and Vitality’s apEX all declaring they “might” be ill for the media day tomorrow. It’s understood this extends to each IGL’s teams too, meaning half of the CS2 players at BLAST Fall Final could skip out on media obligations on the eve of the major tournament.

It’s all in protest against a decision made by BLAST to approve a “medical emergency” substitute for br0, who has been benched by Astralis but was expected to play the Fall Final as rosters for the event had locked nearly a month earlier. A report by HLTV’s Luis Mira dove into the finer details, with br0’s agent Fabian Broich revealing on X/Twitter his player was “fully healthy and ready to perform” despite Astralis’ claims there was a medical emergency affecting the Danish player.

As a result, other teams and fans believe Astralis skirted the BLAST rulebook, which states that an emergency substitution may be made “due to issues such as illness, injury, and travel disruption.” BLAST said to HLTV: “Based on the information provided to us at the time, [the sub] was granted”; it’s important to note any sub ruling is made at BLAST’s discretion.

Previous requests made by other teams for past BLAST events fell on deaf ears or had a vital detail overlooked by the TO. Of notable mention was 2022’s BLAST Premier Spring Groups, where k0nfig had been cleared to substitute for FaZe Clan despite being listed on HEROIC’s extended squad while other squads had their substitute requests denied.

The matter was eventually solved, with BLAST citing “miscommunication” on their end and promising to improve details around roster locks. Clearly, that hasn’t happened in this instance.

More recently, HEROIC requested a sub ahead of this year’s Fall Groups due to the transfer of nicoodoz and coach sAw’s inactive player status. According to HEROIC’s director of esports Robin Nymann, BLAST declined the org’s pleas twice, even after an appeal was launched.

Commentator Janko “YNk” Paunovic hinted at elements of favoritism after the latest Astralis sub was confirmed. “With Valve ranking points on the line, this stuff just shouldn’t be able to fly anymore, RMR seeding is just around the corner!” he said, even joking on the ESL Pro League broadcast last week that Astralis should use their winnings to pay his medical bills.

Fellow caster Jason “moses” O’Toole was just as scathing. “Saying he has a medical emergency so you can sub in his replacement is impressively scummy even for Astralis. If it really is a straight-up lie there should be a heavy punishment from TOs upon the Astralis org,” he declared.

BLAST’s parent company RFRSH Entertainment previously held ownership of Astralis—among other esports brands—but the pair was forced to split in 2019 over fears of a conflict of interest. Valve set the record straight a year later, requiring all teams to disclose business relationships with other participants or organizers.

While there’s no direct proof of collusion in this case, it’s incredibly confusing why Astralis has been permitted this emergency substitute when other instances for different squads in the past were outright declined. Barring an official explanation from either party, it’s easy to see why many allege favoritism.

Dot Esports reached out to BLAST for comment but has not received a response at the time this article was published. Astralis opens its Fall Final campaign against Team Vitality on Sept. 25—assuming player protests don’t impact the start of the tournament.

Update Sept. 23 12:00 PM: The captains who were feeling “unfit” stood their ground and proceeded with the media day boycott.

Apart from the original four, Na’Vi and G2 IGLs Aleksib and Snax also showed their support against the ruling and refused to attend, even though they didn’t post the same tweet. As a result, six out of eight teams at the event showed up to the media day with their in-game leaders absent. These rosters proudly lined up with only four players in front of the camera.

The only complete lineups were Astralis itself and Team Spirit, where IGL chopper seemed to not get the memo.

A new meme surfaced throughout the Counter-Strike community, where fans started poking fun and wished the team captains a speedy recovery from the “br0vid” virus, the new CS2 pandemic.