In a significant move ahead of the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, M80 has announced the signing of 19-year-old Mason “Lake” Sanderson to their Counter-Strike roster. This follows the recent departure of Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, who has joined G2 Esports and will be competing at the highest level of Counter-Strike.
Lake, a young prodigy, will make his team debut against Team Vitality later this month. Despite his limited experience, having participated in just two LAN events—Fragicago 2023 and Launders LAN 2024—Lake has shown promising results. His role as an entry fragger makes him a natural fit for M80, filling the gap left by malbsMd.
A young star is born
Welcome @LakeCS1 to M80 Counter-Strike. pic.twitter.com/tbPmxn8Df6
— M80 (@M80gg) July 9, 2024
The updated M80 Counter-Strike roster is as follows:
- Ethan “reck” Serrano
- Michael “Swisher” Schmid
- Fritz “slaxz-” Dietrich
- Elias “s1n” Stein
- Mason “Lake” Sanderson
- Rory “dephh” Jackson (coach)
M80‘s next challenge will be the Esports World Cup 2024, where they face off against Team Vitality in their opening match. The tournament boasts a million-dollar prize pool, with $400,000 awarded to the first-place team.
In another turn of events, M80 will replace NRG in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown. NRG, who recently defeated M80 2-1 in the Grand Finals of the North American Masters, cannot participate in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown due to scheduling conflicts. This development provides M80 an unexpected but welcome opportunity to compete in the prestigious event.
Update regarding the Fall Showdown, @M80gg will be taking @NRGgg's place in the tournament
Read more 👉 https://t.co/Uu2g85tPSB#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/c6GefJ21LZ
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) July 9, 2024
The BLAST Premier Fall Showdown, scheduled for August, will be an online event hosted in Copenhagen. Sixteen teams will compete, with ten qualifying through the Fall Groups and six securing slots via regional tournaments. M80, having taken NRG’s slot, now has the chance to prove their mettle on a larger stage.
This roster change and the subsequent inclusion in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown mark an important period for M80. With Lake‘s addition, the team looks forward to maintaining their upward trajectory and achieving new heights in the competitive Counter-Strike scene.
