No team has dominated the modern era of Counter-Strike like Astralis. The Danish juggernauts have been a tier 1 threat since forming from the ashes of Team SoloMid in 2016 and their first Major victory in 2017 cemented them as a permanent fixture of CSGO’s top-level.
Their meteoric rise in 2018 was one of the most dominant years from any esports team ever, bagging 10 championships and more than $3,500,000 of prize money in less than a year. This continued into 2019 with them becoming the first team to win three majors in a row, but, what or who is the secret to their success?
After replacing Karrigan at the back end of 2016, gla1ve has become the most decorated captain in CS:GO. His ability to optimize every player on his squad is unparalleled and he has proven time and again to have the ability to outmaneuver his opponents.
He took a hiatus from Astralis due to burnout, but now he’s back. The IGL was sorely missed during his time away from the team, but upon his return, he’s helping them get back to where they should be.
With an ESL Pro League 12 victory and third place at DreamHack Open Fall 2020, Astralis are well on their way back to the stars, but there’s still some way to go yet.
BLAST Premier Global Final is finally underway! The grand finale of the 2020 BLAST season is going to see the best and most prestigious teams in the world compete for the chance to earn $1 million. Here’s the event schedule, stream and results.
Vitality extend their lead on Dust2 13-8
Vitality defeated Complexity on Mirage 16-9
NAVI vs Liquid scheduled for 4:30 CET
BLAST Premier Global Final: Stream
As with all other BLAST competitions, the 2020 Global Final will be broadcast live on their official Twitch channel, which we’ve embedded above for your convenience.
The tournament will likely also be live-streamed on BLAST’s YouTube channel, which is also where the VoDs for all the matches will be uploaded, so feel free to check that out if you missed any games throughout the event.
BLAST Premier Global Final: Schedule & results
Day 2 — Wednesday, January 20
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Winners R1
Vitality vs Complexity
4:30 AM
7:30 AM
1:30 PM
Winners R1
Na’Vi vs Team Liquid
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Losers R1
Evil Geniuses vs FURIA
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Day 3 — Thursday, January 21
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Losers R1
TBD vs TBD
4:30 AM
7:30 AM
1:30 PM
Winners R2
Astralis vs G2
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Winners R2
TBD vs TBD
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Day 4 — Friday, January 22
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Losers R2
TBD vs TBD
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Losers R2
TBD vs TBD
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Day 5 — Saturday, January 23
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Winners Final
TBD vs TBD
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Losers Final
TBD vs TBD
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Day 6 — Sunday, January 23
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Consolidation Final
TBD vs TBD
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Grand Final
TBD vs TBD
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Day 1 — Tuesday, January 19
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Winners R1
Astralis 2-1 Evil Geniuses
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Winners R1
G2 2-1 FURIA
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Astralis & G2 edge through to semi-finals
Astralis opened by taking on Evil Geniuses in a three-game series, with the first map (Inferno) going the way of EG (16-14). The North American’s ability to convert pistol rounds was not enough to guarantee a second map, as both Overpass (16-8) and Vertigo (16-6) were claimed by the Danes. Xyp9x’s AUG proved too hot to handle on Overpasss — will we see it again?
G2 Esports vs FURIA was a much closer affair. G2 took the initiative on Inferno (16-12), snatching FURIA’s map pick. After falling short on Mirage (14-16), G2 bounced back on Nuke (16-10) to clinch the series. NiKo shined, as he clocked out with +20 frags, going 70-50 in three maps.
Eight total teams will be in attendance at this year’s BLAST Global Final, all of them qualifying through a variety of competitions, such as the Spring Finals, Fall Finals and BLAST Premier Circuit.
Lots of eyes will be on Team Liquid, who will be with their new star acquisition, FalleN, after the Brazilian legend joined their ranks to replace Twistzz.
Eight teams are battling it out for their share of $1 million… Additionally, BLAST are gifting the winners an exclusive TW Steel watch to complement the $600k in cash.
