Astralis earns first spot in Katowice Major playoff

Steven Rondina Published 21/02/2019

Astralis is living up to its favorite status at the 2019 Katowice Major.

On Day 2 of the New Legends Stage, Astralis scored a 2-1 victory over Renegades. That win advanced the team’s record to 3-0 and establishes it as the first to qualify for the Champions Stage playoffs.

The opening contest on Mirage was shaping up to be a squash. Despite dropping both pistol rounds, Astralis managed to rack up a massive 14-5 lead and looked poised to close out the game as the Australians struggled to crack through an imposing defense. Things shifted hard in the second half when Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad and Justin “jks” Savage came online, leading Renegades to break off 10 rounds in a row.

Astralis finally got back on track in the 30th round to force overtime, but Renegades’ momentum was too much, leading to a 19-17 win for the Aussies.

The tide turned on Nuke. Playing on one of its favorite maps, Astralis posted a solid first half on T side before blanking Renegades with 10 straight CT rounds to close out the game 16-9. That dominant victory seemed to suck the wind out of Renegades’ sails.

Despite winning the game three pistol round, Renegades struggled to find any kind of offensive success on the deciding map. Successful saves and bomb plants were hard to find for Renegades, and kills became more scarce as the game went on. Renegades slid its way down to a disappointing 16-2 loss to end the series.

Though it took a bit longer to get there than most expected, the final outcome was hardly a surprise.

Astralis has been the consensus best team in Counter-Strike for some time now, with two major championships to the team’s name and a long list of first-place finishes at other events. Despite entering the Katowice Major following a second-place stumble at iBUYPOWER Masters IV, the team was the consensus favorite to win the tournament.

With its space in the Champions Stage playoff secure, Astralis gets to kick back and scout the opposition for the next week. It will return on February 28, facing the lowest-rated team to reach a 3-2 record in the New Legends Stage.

Meanwhile, Renegades still has two more opportunities to earn a spot in the playoffs.

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

Counter-Strike

ENVY Returns to Counter-Strike After Five Years, Picking Up an “Unpaid” 3DMAX Roster Owen Harsono North American esports organization ENVY has officially made its return to Counter-Strike. After putting its CS:GO division on hold in 2021, the org returns by signing the full former 3DMAX roster, so they aren't starting from scratch. ENVY is not only a massive esports organization, but also a legendary one in Counter-Strike. The org fielded one of the strongest French rosters in history, winning the DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca Major in ...

Valorant

Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know Khizar Mundia Esports organization Complexity Gaming is ending its 23-year run, as its founder announces its shutdown. Complexity is an organization that has been around since the early days of esports. The organization had rosters in multiple games, including Counter-Strike and Valorant. Despite this, Complexity’s CS roster was the most famous, as it won several major events. This is why it was a surprise for fans to hear that Complexity is shutting ...

Counter-Strike

Team Vitality vs FURIA: Predictions and best picks for StarLadder StarSeries 2026 Owen Harsono We have a clash of titans in the StarLadder StarSeries Fall consolidation final, as Team Vitality will take on FURIA for a grand final spot. Both teams have shown signs of shakiness throughout the event, so expect some scrappy Counter-Strike. Here are our Team Vitality vs FURIA predictions. Tournament: StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 Stage: Playoffs – Lower Bracket Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: These ...

Counter-Strike

MOUZ vs FURIA: Predictions and best picks for StarLadder StarSeries 2026 Owen Harsono MOUZ are set to take on FURIA in a do-or-die match in the $500,000 StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 lower bracket. Both teams have already suffered losses at the event, but we believe one team is in much better shape than the other. Here are our MOUZ vs FURIA predictions for September 19. Tournament: StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 Stage: Playoffs Game: Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: MOUZ ...

Counter-Strike

StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026: Teams, format, schedule, and prize pool Owen Harsono Top-tier Counter-Strike is back on the menu with StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026. It’s not a 16-team tournament with every top team in attendance, but it’s still bound to entertain us for a solid four days. Here’s everything you need to know about StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026. Tier 1 Counter-Strike lands in Spain again for the first time in a while, with only eight teams in attendance. StarLadder StarSeries will be ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit vs Team Falcons at BLAST Open Fall 2026: best predictions and picks Owen Harsono We’re in for a treat, as the BLAST Open Fall semi-final will feature a matchup between Team Spirit and Team Falcons, with the winner booking a spot in the grand final. It’s a battle between the world number one and number two, so this is a match you definitely don’t want to miss. Here are our BLAST Open Fall Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: BLAST Open Fall 2026 ...

Counter-Strike

Is CS2 Dying in 2026? Owen Harsono Counter-Strike is one of the longest-standing esports franchises, having built a loyal fanbase over the course of two decades. However, if you’ve browsed through social media platforms across the past few months, you might have seen people claiming that the game is dying or on a steady decline. Below we’ll take a look at why people are talking about this and answer the question of “is CS2 really dying?” One ...