Mere months after joining Astralis, Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen is already proving that he’s perhaps the most underrated IGL in tier 1 Counter-Strike.
Before he was brought in, the team looked hopeless against a wide array of opponents. However, it now appears that Astralis are on the rise again. How high they will climb, it’s too early to say. They’re currently ranked 12th globally. Valve puts them even higher – 6th!
Objectively, they’re probably a top 10 team, but very close to the bottom. We’ll find out more at IEM Cologne. For now, what we can say for certain is that Astralis defeated opponents like MIBR, Lynn Vision Gaming, and BetBoom Team without losing a single map.
Some might argue that these teams are nowhere near the skill level of Team Vitality, MOUZ, and Team Spirit.
But we must not forget that just a few months ago, Astralis reached the Grand Final of another tournament, defeating paiN Gaming, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, and Aurora Gaming in the process. Their nemesis was Team Spirit, who bested them twice.
Now, at FISSURE Playground #1, Astralis have reached the Grand Final again. So far, they have only lost one match, against TYLOO. Unfortunately for them, they will need to face the Chinese squad again tomorrow. This time, in a best-of-five!
Grand Final Predictions
TYLOO finished 20th – 22nd at the Austin Major, a tournament that Astralis missed completely. Prior to that, they won the Asian Championships League by defeating Lynn Vision Gaming in the Grand Final.
To reach the Grand Final of FISSURE Playground #1, TYLOO had to first survive group C. They not only survived but triumphed by defeating Virtus.pro and Astralis. Then they eliminated 3DMAX and SAW.
Astralis has much stronger individual players, but the team as a whole is not yet ready to win trophies. However, they do have a big advantage over TYLOO. When it comes to playing under pressure, on a big stage, their entire roster is far more experienced than the Asian one.
