Team Vitality has withdrawn from the BLAST Pro Series Moscow tournament.
Following rumors regarding their status for the event, the organizer has confirmed that the team is out due to their inability to finalize a new roster. The team benched Nathan “NBK-“ Schmitt after its StarLadder Berlin Major run ended in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
“Following recent change, we’re unable to present a complete CSGO roster for the BLAST Pro Series,” Vitality said on Twitter. “We apologize to the organization and the supporters for the inconvenience. We were looking forward to competing at our first BLAST event and hope to be able to be part of one in the future.”
With Vitality out, BLAST is welcoming in an additional CIS team to replace them. A play-in was previously scheduled to determine the final participant at the event with Avangar set to face ForZe. Both have now been invited to the tournament.
This is an interesting platform for the two teams coming off the StarLadder Berlin Major.
ForZe surprised many by winning the CIS Minor and followed that up with a respectable showing in the Berlin Major’s Challengers Stage. The team was eliminated from the first set of group stages but managed to take wins off Furia Esports and Grayhound Gaming.
Avangar will be looking to follow up on its grand finals run at the event. The Kazakhstani team impressed fans by surviving until the very end of the tournament, but were battered in the finals by Astralis. They will undoubtedly be looking to cement their place among CSGO’s elite at the event, and will have a good chance to do so against some stiff competition.
Avangar and ForZe join Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, MiBR, and ENCE Esports. The tournament will begin on September 13 and boasts a prize pool of $250,000.
