CS:GO after the Katowice Major 2019 has experienced various drastical changes, rise and fall in power. Astralis since their downfall earlier in June has been struggling to find back their old glory. Here at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, Astralis has displayed a great performance in the New Legends Stage, only dropping 1 map to NRG.
Astralis vs. Liquid, a clash between archrivals
Coming to the playoffs, Astralis’ opponent in the quarter final was Team Liquid, the current #1 team in the world. Team Liquid has taken over the title from Astralis after the amazing run in 6 consecutive tournaments, winning an Intel Grand Slam handily in less than 3 months.
Astralis vs. Team Liquid is easily among the longest standing rivalries in Esports. The two teams during their prime performance dominated the CS:GO scene. However, Astralis’ era lasted much longer and the Danish giant at the time possessed an overwhelming winrate against Liquid.
This fated matchup is considered an early grand final by many. Whoever wins the match will go on to win the Berlin Major 2019. And yesterday, Astralis has denied Team Liquid the Major trophy to “solidify” the Danish’s standings in the CS:GO world.
Astralis took on Team Liquid on Vertigo and Overpass, the decider match was Inferno. The map veto was interesting as Astralis decided to go for an unconventional map pick, Vertigo while allowing Overpass to be picked by Liquid.
This seemed like a risky move for the Danes as Team Liquid at the time possessed a 100% winrate on Vertigo. Regardless, Astralis showed that they did their homework and had a great CT-side to close out the match at 16-8.
That was the momentum for Astralis to come into Team Liquid’s map pick, Overpass. Team Liquid had a good start with 4 rounds in a row following the triple kill by Twistzz in pistol round. They went on to win the first half with 9 rounds, not bad for a CT-sided map like Overpass.
However, Astralis has yet to throw in the towel. They had an amazing T-side to tie out the score and then turn the table. Team Liquid struggled to hold bombsites and then accepted defeat at 13-16.
Coming up next
Astralis will face NRG in the upcoming semi-final. NRG is also a great contender for the Major Champion title as they managed to take down Astralis earlier in the New Legends Stage. Will Astralis carry on their stellar performance or drop it once again? Only time will tell.
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