9INE Shocks Fnatic in BLAST Showdown Quarters with Impressive Win

The Polish team’s incredible start to 2023 slowed down recently, but Olek “⁠hades⁠” Miskiewicz and his teammates are back with their most significant victory to date.

The BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe quarter-finals stage has come to a close, with 9INE pulling off a surprising win over fnatic and knocking out the world’s 11th-ranked team from the race for the Spring Finals spot.

The Polish team secured the unexpected victory by dominating on their two most successful maps in 2023 thus far, Vertigo and Nuke. Fnatic could only offer competition on Overpass, and their weak Terrorist sides ultimately cost them the other two maps.

9INE was praised as one of the most innovative teams by some of the players who participated in last month’s ESL Pro League, according to commentator Alex “⁠Mauisnake⁠” Ellenberg.

Their early months of 2023, following the addition of hades to the roster, saw great results. 9INE soared to their highest ranking of 23rd place after qualifying for IEM Rio and the BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR, and winning several smaller tournaments, including the OMEN WGR Challenge, GAM3RS_X Polish Clash, and the RES Western European Masters, which secured their spot in the Showdown.

Despite a grueling schedule with over 110 maps played since the beginning of the year, 9INE had struggled to maintain their success in recent months. However, with the upset against fnatic, the Polish squad has claimed their most significant victory yet and now aims to continue their Showdown run by facing BIG in the semi-finals.

On the other side of the single-elimination bracket, with one spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Finals at stake, tournament favorites Cloud9 will take on Ninjas in Pyjamas.