Vitality won’t play at BLAST Pro Series Moscow because its CS:GO roster is incomplete after Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt was moved to the bench last week, the tournament organizer announced today.
AVANGAR, who came in second at the StarLadder Berlin Major, and forZe, the first-place team in the closed qualifier, will play at the upcoming tournament instead.
Vitality’s withdrawal from the event suggests that the French team is still considering its options to replace former captain NBK-. Richard “shox” Papillon and Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey are reportedly two of the top candidates to replace him.
AVANGAR and forZe were going to play for the final spot at BLAST Pro Series Moscow, but the tournament organizer opted to dissolve the final and invite the two teams instead. BLAST Pro Series’ CEO Robbie Douek said that the tournament is still attractive and will have teams like MIBR, NiP, Natus Vincere, and ENCE.
With Vitality out of the picture, it’s hard to pick a favorite to win the tournament since Na’Vi will be playing their last tournament with captain Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko, while ENCE and MIBR will debut their new players Miikka ”suNny” Kemppi and Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppe, respectively.
BLAST Pro Series Moscow will kick off on Friday, Sept. 13 and the grand finals will be played on Saturday, Sept. 14. The six teams will fight for their share of the $250,000 prize pool.
