Copenhagen Flames Beat Spirit Academy To Win BLAST Rising 2021

Copenhagen Flames have won the 24-team BLAST Rising event with a 2-1 victory over Spirit Academy in the grand final. The Danes impressed in the playoffs after undergoing a roster rebuild prior to the start of the single-elimination bracket, which saw Fredrik “⁠roeJ⁠” Jørgensen, Rasmus “⁠HooXi⁠” Nielsen and Rasmus “⁠Zyphon⁠” Nordfoss added to the roster. With minimal practice time, the Danish side defeated Tricked, LDLC and Young Ninjas on the way to the grand final.

Spirit Academy proved many doubters wrong by making it to the title decider following a sluggish start to the competition. Robert “⁠Patsi⁠” Isyanov & co. ended the group stage with a 1-2 record and subsequently had to progress through the Play-in to keep their tournament hopes alive. Once a playoff spot was assured, the team stepped up to a whole new level, with convincing best-of-three wins over Galaxy Racer, MAD Lions and DBL PONEY setting up a clash with Copenhagen Flames.

HooXi led his team to victory in their first event as a five

The series opened on Mirage, where the two teams could barely be separated in the first half as they both enjoyed periods of success. However, Spirit Academy hit a higher gear once they swapped to the CT side. The CIS squad comprehensively shut down the attacking Danes for eight rounds straight to secure the map 16-7, with Aliaksei “⁠znx⁠” Zlatkouski leading the charge with a 1.51 rating.

Spirit Academy carried over the momentum to Overpass for an 8-4 start, but the Copenhagen Flames trio of Nico “⁠nicoodoz⁠” Tamjidi, roeJ and HooXi stamped their authority on the map and took control of proceedings to secure their pick 16-10 and force a decider.

With the wind now firmly in their sails, the Danish squad powered past their opponents with little resistance. A comfortable 9-6 defensive half was built on once on the offence, with Copenhagen Flames briskly wrapping up the map 16-7 to take the series 2-1.

The final standings for BLAST Rising 2021 looks as follows:

1. Copenhagen Flames – $15,000
2. Spirit Academy – $10,000
3. Young Ninjas – $5,000
4. DBL PONEY
5-8. LDLC
5-8. MAD Lions
5-8. SKADE
5-8. Apeks
9-16. Nordavind
9-16. NAVI Junior
9-16. EC Brugge
9-16. Galaxy Racer
9-16. AGO
9-16. Budapest Five
9-16. Tricked
9-16. GORILLAZ
17-18. Sangal
17-18. Nexus
19-24. Finest
19-24. Sinners
19-24. OFFSET
19-24. ALTERNATE aTTaX
19-24. Astralis Talent
19-24. UMX