win.gg
Win.gg Counter-Strike Astralis demolish ENCE to become Katowice Major champions

Astralis demolish ENCE to become Katowice Major champions

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 03/03/2019
Google Preferred Source

Astralis are the 2019 Katowice Major champions.

Facing ENCE in the grand finals of the year’s first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major, the consensus favorite lived up to the hype with a dominant 2-0 victory. The win gave the team its latest in a long string of victories and a third CS:GO major title.

ENCE was positioned for early success as it opened the series on the team’s best map, Train. Taking the opening rounds on T side, the Finns looked formidable until multi-kills from Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen got Astralis’ economic ball rolling. Astralis was then able to take advantage of Train’s defensive nature to rack up a hefty lead.

Though ENCE rallied and did look to have a shot at winning after halftime, the margin for error proved too narrow. More big rounds from Dev1ce and a clutch from Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth closed the door on a comeback with Astralis taking the opening game 16-11.

Losing the team’s own map pick was a tough blow for ENCE, and things would only get worse on second map Inferno.

Dupreeh kicked things off for Astralis by racking up eight kills in the first three rounds of play. The Danes kept the pressure on from there, getting out to a dominant 10-0 lead. ENCE settled down and put a few rounds on the board, but it was only a matter of time before Astralis closed the map 16-4 and the series 2-0.

With the win, Astralis was crowned the Katowice Major champions. It is the team’s second consecutive major title victory and the third in its history. The organization is now tied with Fnatic for most major championships in CS:GO history.

Though Astralis’ victory was predicted by many, the team’s dominance is still something to marvel at.

The depth of the professional Counter-Strike scene is greater than ever before, and no team in the tournament was an easy out. This was on full display as a relatively unheralded ENCE advanced to the grand finals at the expense of Team Liquid and Natus Vincere, widely regarded as the second and third best teams in the world behind Astralis.

Despite swimming with sharks throughout the major, Astralis posted a nearly flawless performance. The team didn’t drop a single map during the Champions Stage, and gave away just one series point all tournament.

The team can now truly make a case for being the greatest dynasty in the history of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Steven Rondina Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile
Read Also
IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...