Astralis bounce back after tough start to qualify for Fall Final

BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 marked the beginning of a new era for Astralis. Playing without legendary IGL gla1ve for the first time since 2016, it was a tough test for new leader blameF.

With two new players under his stewardship in the form of b0RUP and Staehr, the event was more about getting some match reps under their belt as a team and building up chemistry, so ending it with qualification is the icing on the cake.

Astralis fight back from a hard start

Astralis opened their account in Copenhagen by suffering a close defeat at the hands of NAVI. A series that ended 2-1, Astralis started the match strong by winning Ancient 16-8. Staehr, device, and blameF all performed well on the map, giving perhaps too high expectations for the level that the roster had debuted at.

Maps two and three brought the Danes back down to reality. 16-6 on Nuke and 16-12 on Overpass, device and blameF continued to be the top two players on the team for Astralis, but they weren't enough to prevent the new look NAVI team from claiming the victory.

They followed their defeat at the hands to NAVI with a second loss against BIG. Only time will tell if that defeat is a surprise, but it's a defeat Astralis can't allow to become consistent if they are to become title contenders once more.

Just as in the NAVI game, Astralis opened that series with a 16-8 victory. This time on Anubis, it was the turn of b0RUP to star as his 18-14 statline led to a 1.51 HLTV Rating.

Photo: Michal Konkol

Astralis would then fall on the second and third maps once again. 16-10 on Ancient and 16-12 on Overpass, Buzz and blameF were strong in the remainder of the series, but the impressive form of Krimbo swung the series in the German team's favour.

Having been sent down into the gauntlet, Astralis' next match would come against Complexity. A match in which they dominated, Complexity were powerless as soon as their momentum was halted following the 7-2 lead they built up in the early stages on Vertigo. A map that ended 16-12, device put up superstar numbers to give Astralis the advantage in the series.

On Overpass, it was the turn of new captain blameF to be the superstar. A 27-6, 2.30 HLTV Rating showing from blameF, he crushed Complexity on both T and CT sides to secure his team a 16-4 win.

That victory would set Astralis up for a final game against Team Liquid, a match up steeped in history.

A rivalry Astralis has typically come out on top in, despite going through multiple changes since the rivalry was at it's peak, the rule of a Danish win remained true.

16-11 on the opening map of Overpass, b0RUP and Staehr stepped up alongside the ever consistent device as the trio amassed 64 kills to give Astralis the advantage going into Liquid's map pick. A 16-9 victory there, every member of the Astralis side went positive in order to book their spot at Fall Final in front of their home crowd.