BLAST Rivals 2026 - Day 1: Early CS2 Preview & Picks
We have four top-tier games to kick off BLAST Rivals 2026 in Texas on April 29, 2026. The upcoming major, IEM Cologne, is now firmly on the horizon, and teams will be trying to find their A games at just the right time.
Full CARNAGE ratings for every player will be live closer to the slate.
CS2 Slate Preview
Heavy favorites in three of the four games and one that looks like a near coin flip. The Astralis vs. G2 game is the standout.
Game by Game
Let's get into it!
Vitality vs. FUT Esports
84% / 16% -- 11:00 AM ET
Vitality are one of the heaviest favorites, understandable since FUT are walking into the most complete roster in the world. ZywOo is the obvious top play on that side.
Thing is, FUT has been one of the hottest teams in CS in recent months, and I actually think they could cause Vitality problems here. They are an extremely skilled team and have been growing in confidence ahead of this matchup. Vitality is still likely to get the job done, but backing FUT at 16% on sites like Kalshi is kind of intriguing.
Astralis vs. G2
54% / 46% -- 1:30 PM ET
Game of the day. Close enough on paper that both teams have real paths to the win. G2 lean on the core of NertZ, MATYS, and HeavyGod. MATYS has the ceiling to single-handedly swing a close series and is my top G2 target here. Definitely make sure to check whether or not the IGL, huNter, will be able to return to action or if the team will have to use a stand-in again.
On the Astralis side, you have to commend what HooXi has been able to accomplish since taking over as the captain. phzy and ryu have been nice additions to the starting five, and the team has been clicking for the most part. Staehr, phzy and jabbi are the three top targets for DFS.
Natus Vincere vs. FaZE
77% / 23% -- 4:00 PM ET
Na'Vi are substantial favorites, and rightly so. makazze is a strong candidate to pace the slate in kills and is the profile to target in a favored game.
We just got confirmation that karrigan has indeed left FaZe to join up with Falcons. FaZe will play with Neityu in the meantime, with Twistzz stepping into the in-game leadership role. FaZe still has a lot of skill, namely frozen, but they’ll be hard to trust as a unit against a strong Na’Vi.
FURIA vs. GamerLegion
76% / 24% -- 6:30 PM ET
FURIA closing the night as solid favorites. KSCERATO is the standout rifler play and molodoy is one of the better AWPer options on the slate.
This GamerLegion team is a wildcard. The starting five have a lot of talent, including REZ and PR, and Snax is one of the most well-respected IGLs in CS history. The inconsistency and general underperformance have been a little worrying. That said, wouldn’t be shocked to see GL make life difficult for FURIA in this spot.
Players to Watch
ZywOo (Vitality) -- most complete player in the world
MATYS (G2) -- growing in confidence with each event
makazze (Na'Vi) -- one of the most likely to pace the slate in kills
KSCERATO (FURIA) -- dependable rifler in a favored spot
REZ (GamerLegion) -- if GL surprise, likely because REZ steps up
Win probabilities are approximate and subject to change.
Good luck!