BLAST are considering a rule change that would allow CSGO teams to substitute their players during the half of an active match, according to DBLTAP’s Jarek ‘Dekay’ Lewis.
The proposed change would be a first for teams, allowing a dynamic use for BLAST’s maximum number of players required for a roster – up to five for a starting lineup and two more to be used as subs.
Up to this point, a team actively using anyone outside of the main five players in CSGO has been more theory than application.
According to section 6.7 of the Blast Premier Rulebook for the 2020 season: “Teams may field a different line-up for each map provided that they can set-up the Players in the Playing Area within the pre-scheduled break times.”
Since CSGO is a five-per side game, teams typically eschew roster expansions that exceed that limit. Due to this, BLAST’s substitution rule already in place has yet to be used.
There aren’t many teams in a position to innovatively use such a rule other than Astralis, who have already been loading up their CSGO linuep with assets exceeding the five starters, with reports suggesting they’re willing to sign even more.
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It’s an expansion rarely seen from orgs unless they’re getting ready for a major overhaul of their roster.
With the Danish All-Star team having lackluster performances as of late, the new rule would be a great trial and error opportunity for head coach Danny ‘zonic’ Sørensen to experiment with lineups, at least for BLAST events.
Since exploding onto the scene in 2017, RFRSH, now BLAST ApS, has been creating unique experiences in CSGO that immediately earned them the Initiative Award of the Year at the Copenhagen Congress and Event Award 2018 in recognition of the BLAST Pro Series: Copenhagen 2017 event.
With a rule like mid-match subs, BLAST could once again look to mix up the typical CSGO formats that allow for a new approach to the game.