Astralis might just be ready to win BLAST Premier Spring Final

Astralis are back.

Well, sort of. They're not 'greatest team ever' like they used to be, but they're back to being a version of Astralis recognisable to their fans and their detractors alike.

The re-addition of device was long needed, but more than that, there's been other, quieter additions.

Buzz and Altekz are both new faces, and though they don't get the plaudits, they have been solid and have been upgrades. Altekz is incredibly solid in some very tough roles, while Buzz is selfless and has the mechanics of a tier one player, even if sometimes he doesn't have the experience of one.

What changed?

Astralis were in a rut.

blameF was fragging, device came in and was doing his part in that department, but it felt like Xyp9x and gla1ve weren't their old selves and MistR wasn't quite ready. That happens; but Astralis needed fresh blood.

Buzz came out of nowhere, and his impact was somewhat muted. He was good, but inconsistent - but Altekz has been a revelation.

He's largely taken Xyp9x's spot, but with more... fire. He's aggressive, creative and very, very good. He doesn't get the best spots and he doesn't take up a lot of space, but what he does is allow the stars to take over.

And man, device is back. Even if Astralis aren't in god-tier form yet, device is.

Jak Howard

He's playing just like he did at Astralis' peak. He's taking the perfect duel, hitting every single shot, simple or otherwise, finding a favourable angle in every situation and shutting down superstars with consummate ease. The whole game looks so easy for him, and it's showing.

Astralis are winning tier two events consistently - and you can ask anyone other than Vitality at the Paris Major, that isn't easy.

They went to Dallas and though they didn't win, they looked a lot more like their old selves. blameF wasn't quite as dominant as a year ago, but device was just as good as he was in 2019. They could, and perhaps should, have beaten MOUZ with device playing like that, and made it to the final.

Alas, it was not to be.

Why?

Astralis do still have some issues to resolve coming into Premier Spring Final.

We sort of glossed over it in the last part, but blameF hasn't been as ridiculous as previously in this iteration of Astralis. device has likely taken some of the space that he used to thrive in, and his rebirth as a pack rifler should in theory suit him.

His job is merely to trade gla1ve and multifrag, which should be perfect. He's arguably a top three trade fragger in the world.

But it hasn't quite worked like that. Whether this was just a one tournament blip or a systemic issue - like that he isn't used to this and would be better in device's positions, for example - is yet unclear.

Stephanie Lindgren

Let's not forget, before device it was Lucky or farlig. If blameF wanted to take their good spots, he could. He can't ego out device. Now he has to take slightly more aggressive positions on the T side.

Perhaps a bigger issue is that while gla1ve is still an excellent leader, his fragging power is massively diminished compared to his peak. That's not necessarily an issue - plenty of IGLs still make it work - what truly set him apart was his ability to frag like a star rifler, entry like a YEKINDAR and clutch like a ropz.

Alright, not quite. But at his peak, gla1ve was as good as most teams' stars.

He isn't that any more, and it seems he's had to change style to accomodate his own firepower difference.

Buzz, too, is inconsistent. He always looks like a clean mechanical player, but there's clearly some experience and decision-making issues, which may or may not be more macro-based. I.E, perhaps he's being told to do certain things that seem to impact his game.

How are Astralis in such a good spot to win then, Mr BLAST.tv?

It's quite simple. If device is still in Dallas form, and blameF finds his 2022 form, it's near impossible to stop Astralis from running over you.

device is at a level where he can win any map almost single-handedly, and was far and away the top rated player in Dallas. If he has just a little help from the other juggernaut on his team, they can quite easily smash everyone.

It's coming to the end of the CSGO season as it were - and the whole game - but Astralis have some momentum that many other teams don't have, and device has found form at the perfect time.

Michal Konkol

Other teams are winding down, thinking about the player break, but Astralis have been grinding to be here. They're hungry because their season hasn't been like they're used to. They're hungry because they're on the way up. They need this tournament more than anyone else does.

Astralis are nearly there, and this tournament could be a defining one for them. Who knows, it might be the last CSGO event; and what a way to end the game that would be for an org who have made such a mark on the game.

They're in good nick, both individually and as a team, and nobody in Washington will look forward to facing a fully firing device and blameF.

Nobody.