BLAST Releases Rulebook for Austin Major 2025
BLAST organizers have introduced the rulebook for the Austin Major, and it's quite comprehensive. It includes not only technical details and equipment requirements but also many new restrictions that could impact teams even before the matches begin. BLAST has also released the invitations for the Austin Major. You can check them out by following this link.
The first change is the reassignment of Kazakhstan to the Asian region. For the first time since 2016, teams from this country will be able to play qualifiers for the major in Asia. Meanwhile, Russia has lost this right and will only participate in the European qualifiers. Mongolia is now separately mentioned in the region's name, and Taiwan has been moved from the "China and Special Regions" group to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Interestingly, Turkey is now part of two regions — European and Asian.
Discipline has also been emphasized: teams are required to compete in full uniforms, including pants — no shorts allowed. It's prohibited to appear on stage in clothing from other brands, even if it's just a jacket. Online stages will now be held under cameras — each player's camera must be on. Only five players are allowed in the room during matches. Coaches, as before, are not allowed to contact players outside of pauses.
Roster rules have also been clarified. Roster changes are not allowed, but up to two substitutes can be declared — at least three players from the starting lineup must remain. Substitutions between maps are allowed only for medical reasons. Roster changes can be made 10 minutes before the map veto.
Technical conditions promise a top-tier level: training rooms and the stage will have PCs equipped with Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 5080 graphics cards, and Alienware AW2524H monitors with a 500 Hz refresh rate. Razer device drivers can only be installed in the presence of BLAST staff.
The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 will take place from June 2 to 22 in Austin , USA. Teams will compete for a prize pool of $1,250,000. You can follow the tournament's progress in more detail by visiting this link.
