Astralis may not have taken first place at DreamHack Masters Malmo, but the event still proved to be a big win for the team.
The four-time major winners have reclaimed the top spot in the HLTV global rankings. This shakes off some of the memories of a rough spring that saw the team slip down, and also speaks to how rough the last month has been for previous top team, Team Liquid.
Astralis currently sits at 897 points with Liquid trailing at 822. Third place is held by Evil Geniuses, fourth by Fnatic, and fifth by Avangar. This represents a fairly significant shift among the top five from where it was just a week ago.
Â
Astralis had an extraordinary 2018 and early 2019 that saw the team win the FACEIT London Major, the IEM Katowice Major, ESL Pro League Season 8, and many other events. The team slowed from there, however. The Danish side looked quite different from the unstoppable force that once won 11 live events in a row.
Meanwhile, Team Liquid went on a stretch that was comparable to Astralis’ peak. The team won five notable tournaments in a row, including ESL One Cologne, ESL Pro League Season 9, and DreamHack Masters Dallas. Those consistently excellent results saw Liquid claim the top spot in the world’s biggest CSGO ranking, while Astralis dipped as low as fourth place behind Liquid, Team Vitality, and ENCE.
The StarLadder Berlin Major marked a turning point for all four organizations. Liquid, ENCE, and Vitality were all eliminated from the major in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, while the major title was eventually won by Astralis.
Astralis jumped into second place while ENCE and Vitality both slipped down and found themselves competing with Berlin Major runner-up Avangar and the surging NRG Esports. Team Liquid maintained its top spot, but a loss to Astralis in the semifinals of the ESL One New York playoffs and an early elimination from DreamHack Masters Malmo saw Liquid slide out of that top spot.
Â
The DreamHack Masters Malmo event saw a number of surprising outcomes, but the one that had a major impact near the top of HLTV’s rankings was Fnatic’s first-place performance. The Swedish team debuted its not-so-new roster at the event and looked exceptional throughout. That performance saw them jump 19 spots to fourth in the world.
Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses were both eliminated from the event quite early. Outside of Liquid losing the top spot, that didn’t have too much of an effect as EG held steady in third.
Team Vitality posted an excellent performance of its own. Like Fnatic, the French team stepped into the event with a retooled roster and managed to advance to the grand finals. That helped the team bridge the gap with Avangar, but both ultimately slid down a spot behind Fnatic.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
