BLAST Bounty semifinals heat up with FaZe and Astralis advancing
Plus: Gen.G restructures Valorant coaches, TDK joins 1win, and Waylay pulled from Valorant.
TL;DR
- FaZe and Astralis reach BLAST Bounty S2 finals; Spirit and MOUZ semifinals underway in Malta with $740k at stake.
- Gen.G GC replaces head coach SeoeuN with Yoon Xpp ahead of Game Changers 2026 Pacific.
- Counter-Strike roster TDK transfers to 1win, debuting August 3 at NODWIN Clutch Series.
- Waylay agent removed from Valorant due to Refract ability bug; Nongshim defeats BFX 2-1 in LCK Round 3.
Tournaments and results
BLAST Bounty semifinals underway, Nongshim and Eternal Return advance
Counter-Strike's marquee LAN event enters its decisive rounds while League of Legends and mobile esports deliver group-stage wins.
FaZe and Astralis secured their spots in the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals semi-finals at the Malta LAN, with FaZe defeating The MongolZ 2-1 on July 31. The championship rounds continued August 1 with FaZe squaring off against Spirit and Astralis facing MOUZ, the two best-of-three semi-final matchups featuring a combined $740,000 prize pool. (via HLTV)
TDK transfer to 1win. The Counter-Strike roster led by Vladislav Gorshkov completes its move to 1win organization, its debut scheduled for August 3 at NODWIN Clutch Series 10. The roster gained three permanent acquisitions—fame from Virtus.pro, Ax1Le from BetBoom, and ArtFr0st on loan—while Andrey Yasinskiy joins on loan from PARIVISION. (via HLTV)
Nongshim edges BFX in LCK Round 3. The Korean League of Legends squad claimed a 2-1 victory over BFX on August 1 to secure their second consecutive win in Round 3 of the LCK 2026 summer split. (via Inven Global)
Eternal Return Mid-Season Cup finals set. Four teams—Gangwon, Gwangju, Chungnam, and Daegu—advanced from the group stage on August 1 to secure finals slots in the Korean Eternal Return League competition. (via Inven Global)
Patches and meta
Waylay removed from Valorant over ability bug
The controller took a sudden exit from the competitive pool mid-patch due to technical problems with her signature ability.
Valorant agent Waylay was removed from competitive play on July 31 after the discovery of a critical bug affecting her Refract ability, which creates walls that slow allies and block opponent vision. The removal marks a rare mid-patch intervention by Riot Games to address core ability functionality. (via Dexerto)
Rosters and transfers
Gen.G GC promotes Yoon Xpp, parts ways with academy roster
The Valorant organization restructures its coaching staff and cuts ties with its secondary squad heading into Game Changers 2026.
Gen.G GC elevated Yoon Xpp to head coach on August 1, replacing Jeong SeoeuN who departs to resume private coaching work with Gen.G Global Academy's women's Valorant program. Xpp, who brings esports experience from Korea's First Strike era with THE START W and later Team Secret, steps up after directing Gen.G's academy roster through the 2026 WDG Challengers Korea season. Yang SoKo remains on staff as a coach. (via VLR.gg)
Gen.G cuts academy roster. The organization announced it is parting ways with its secondary roster on August 1 ahead of Game Changers Pacific, streamlining its esports operations. (via VLR.gg)