BLAST Announces The Draft In Partnership With Nodwin Gaming

The year 2023 is considered as the year where the rise of the Counter-Strike scene in India occured with the introduction of several CS tournaments and organisations taking an interest in the game. With tons of CS tournaments taking place in India, fans wanted Indian teams like Gods Reign, Revenant Esports and True Rippers to showcase their talent at an international level. Thanks to BLAST, South Asian countries, India and Pakistan, will get a chance to compete with the global stars.

BLAST has partnered with the Indian company Nodwin Gaming to announce The Draft. The Draft will be a Counter-Strike tournament featuring top teams from India and Pakistan who will get an opportunity to compete globally. To celebrate the launch of The Draft, the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 in Abu Dhabi will host a showmatch between True Rippers (ex-Marcos Gaming CS team) from India and Team WahWah from Pakistan. 

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BLAST And Nodwin Gaming To Host The Draft For Indian And Pakistani Counter-Strike Teams

The year 2024 will kick off with The Draft, where 64 teams from each nation, India and Pakistan, will compete against each other for a spot in online group stages. Only six teams will qualify for the regional online group stages, and only three from each group stage will make them for the Super Six LAN event. In February 2024, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will host the Super Six LAN event where three Indian and Pakistani Counter-Strike teams will battle against each other. 

February's Super Six LAN event will feature a prize pool of $50,000 and will follow a unique format. Each of the six teams will be provided with a Counter-Strike veteran with the help of a unique draft-inspired selection process. Thanks to the draft process, each team will get exposure to play with and against the best players in the world.

Showcasing his excitement for The Draft, here is what Faye Marlborough, Brand Director for BLAST, said: 

We are delighted to be teaming up with NODWIN Gaming to launch The Draft, giving Indian and Pakistan Counter-Strike teams the chance of a lifetime to play with CS legends on a global stage. Providing emerging esports and gaming markets with opportunities to play on a global stage is key to their long-term growth. The Draft will not only act as an important pathway for aspiring players but will also provide an exciting tournament for global and local fans to enjoy.

In 2023, India witnessed the first-ever franchise-based Counter-Strike tournament, Skyesports Masters 2023, featuring a Rs. 2 crore prize pool. This event was followed by Masters 2023, Souvenir 2023 and Nodwin Gaming's Dreamhack Hyderabad Invitational, some major CS tournaments in India. In January 2024, India will witness Skyesports Championship 5.0 CS2 LAN in Mumbai, featuring international giants like Team OG and Aurora 1xbet Gaming. With The Draft, the Indian CS scene will receive some much-needed exposure for growth.