BLAST has officially confirmed that Cache will enter the tournament map pool for its upcoming Counter-Strike 2 competitions following Valve's decision to restore the classic battleground to the Active Duty rotation. The change will affect multiple premier events, including BLAST Bounty, BLAST Open Porto, and BLAST Rivals Hong Kong, while most Open Porto qualifiers will also transition to the updated map pool.

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Quick Summary

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BLAST Officially Adopts Cache Across Upcoming Events

BLAST has confirmed that Cache will replace Overpass in its competitive map pool for nearly all upcoming tournaments after Valve recently announced the map's return to the official Active Duty rotation.

The update brings BLAST's tournament rules into alignment with Valve's competitive ecosystem, ensuring that teams prepare on the same seven-map pool used in top-level Counter-Strike competition.

The first BLAST tournaments scheduled to feature Cache include:

• BLAST Bounty
• BLAST Open Porto
• BLAST Rivals Hong Kong

According to BLAST, the transition will also happen during qualification stages for most regions. However, the North American Open Qualifier for BLAST Open Porto will continue using the previous map pool because it begins before the official transition date. Qualifiers in Europe, Asia, and South America will instead be played with Cache replacing Overpass.

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Why the North American Qualifier Is Different

Unlike the remaining regional qualifiers, the North American Open Qualifier starts earlier than the others.

Because its matches begin before the broader implementation of Valve's updated Active Duty pool, BLAST elected to keep the existing map rotation in place for competitive consistency.

Later qualifiers beginning in July will immediately use Cache.

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Background: Valve's Active Duty Map Pool Update

The announcement follows Valve's June 22 decision to return Cache to the Active Duty map pool while removing Overpass. That update immediately prompted tournament organizers to adjust their competitive rulebooks ahead of upcoming events.

Cache is one of Counter-Strike's most recognizable maps and has appeared at numerous premier events throughout the franchise's history. Although it remained playable outside Active Duty for several years, its return means professional teams must once again prepare it for elite competition.

For organizers such as BLAST, matching Valve's official pool minimizes discrepancies between tournaments and the broader competitive ecosystem.

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Why This Matters

The change affects far more than simply replacing one map.

Teams must rapidly expand their map pools

Every participating roster now needs to:

• develop new strategies on Cache
• rebuild utility lineups
• establish defaults and executes
• prepare anti-strats against opponents

Because Cache has not appeared in Active Duty for an extended period, preparation levels are expected to vary considerably between teams.

Coaches gain additional preparation work

Analysts and coaching staffs now face:

• fresh demo review
• tactical experimentation
• veto recalculations
• updated scouting reports

Early Cache matches could therefore produce unpredictable results.

Tournament preparation changes immediately

For organizations competing in July qualifiers and subsequent BLAST events, Cache becomes part of daily practice schedules almost immediately.

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Timeline

Dates based on official announcements.

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Key Details

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Tactical Impact

Cache differs significantly from Overpass in terms of structure and pacing.

Potential competitive implications include:

• more emphasis on precise mid control
• renewed importance of A-site utility coordination
• different CT economy priorities
• altered veto strategies across best-of-three series

Because no recent top-tier Cache sample exists under the current competitive environment, the first official tournaments should provide valuable insight into how teams adapt.

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Tournament Impact

BLAST's announcement ensures consistency between Valve's official competitive environment and premier tournament play.

The decision also prevents prolonged fragmentation where different organizers operate different map pools.

Teams qualifying through Europe, Asia and South America will therefore already be accustomed to Cache before reaching BLAST Open Porto's main event.

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What Changes Now

Immediate changes include:

• Cache becomes tournament legal at upcoming BLAST events.
• Overpass leaves the BLAST map pool.
• Most Open Porto qualifiers transition immediately.
• Teams begin preparing official Cache playbooks.
• Map veto strategies will evolve before the next international LAN.

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What to Watch Next

Several storylines are worth following over the coming weeks:

• Which teams develop the strongest Cache strategies first?
• How quickly will the professional meta evolve?
• Will Cache become a permanent staple of top-level CS2 competition?
• How will first-round veto priorities change at BLAST Bounty?
• Which surprise teams benefit most from the map pool shake-up?

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Related Teams, Players and Events

Events

• BLAST Bounty
• BLAST Open Porto
• BLAST Rivals Hong Kong

Regions affected

• Europe
• Asia
• South America
• North America (exception for first Open Qualifier)

Maps

• Cache
• Overpass

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FAQ

Why is BLAST adding Cache?

Because Valve restored Cache to the Active Duty map pool, BLAST is updating its tournaments to match the official competitive rotation.

Which map is being removed?

Overpass leaves BLAST's tournament map pool and is replaced by Cache.

Which qualifiers use Cache?

Open qualifiers in Europe, Asia and South America will use Cache, while the North American Open Qualifier continues with the previous map pool due to scheduling.

Which BLAST tournaments are affected?

BLAST confirmed Cache for:

• BLAST Bounty
• BLAST Open Porto
• BLAST Rivals Hong Kong

Does this affect Valve events too?

Valve's Active Duty update applies broadly across official competitive Counter-Strike, while individual tournament organizers announce implementation schedules separately.