After a hard-fought path through the IEM Katowice Major, Astralis and Team Liquid are both heading to the playoffs. Both teams were able to sweep their opponents through the New Legends stage.
Legends.#LetsGoLiquid pic.twitter.com/RcsP3HpR47
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) February 21, 2019
Astralis lived up to their legendary reputation as the best CSGO team in the world at the Major. They were basically unfazed heading through the New Legends, taking down compLexity, Cloud9, and Renegades. Danish star AWPer, Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, is leading all players with a 1.40 HLTV rating. The team as a whole has a whopping +130 Kill/Death Differential, which trumps the second highest K/D Differential, which is +59.
Meanwhile, Team Liquid is also playing at a great rate through the New Legends stage as well. They too would take down all three of their opponents, which comprised of AVANGAR, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Natus Vincere. Team in-game leader, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella, is leading the team with a 1.25 HLTV rating. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken has also been a huge factor in the success early in the tournament. He leads Team Liquid with a 1.38 KDA, which is also good enough to be the seventh best KDA at the Katowice Major.
IEM Katowice: Looking ahead
WE ARE LEGENDS 🔥
A great 2-1 win vs. @Renegades secures us a spot for next week's #IEM Major playoffs! #ToTheStars ✨ pic.twitter.com/CyzpszEBMC
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) February 21, 2019
After today, there are a few teams that are still looking for a spot in the New Champions bracket. For example, after their defeat at the hands of Liquid, Natus Vincere is still looking for their ticket to the dance. Unfortunately, they are facing off against a surging AVANGAR squad that has recently taken down FaZe Clan and NRG Esports. Speaking of which, FaZe Clan is on the verge of being eliminated from the Katowice Major after two upset losses to Renegades and AVANGAR. HÃ¥vard “rain” Nygaard and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer have not been playing too well in the tournament, as they’ve both been averaging K/D Differentials below one, and KDA’s lower than one.
2018’s Boston Major champions, Cloud9, are also on the verge of elimination after losses to Vitality and Astralis. Timothy “autimatic” Ta has been the only bright spot on this struggling North American team. He is the only member of the team that is averaging a positive K/D Differential at the Katowice Major. Everyone else also has a KDA lower than one, with Will “RUSH” Wierzba averaging a 0.77 KDA.
MIBR is also looking for a spot in the Champions Stage after going 2-1 on the day. With victories over compLexity Gaming and G2 Esports, they now look towards Ninjas in Pyjamas for their next challenge. The Ninjas have had a surprisingly decent tournament, taking down NRG Esports and Hellraisers. Beforehand, they were able to take down ViCi Gaming, FURIA and Vega Squadron to earn themselves a spot in the New Legends Stage.
Liquid and Astralis: The Best of the Best
It is pretty clear that these two teams may be two of the best teams in the world. Many people believe that there is a rivalry between these two organizations. However, Team Liquid has only beaten them once in a span of a year and a month. However, this year may bring a change of fortune for North America’s best. We will need to reserve our opinions for when these two teams meet. Will it be a Team Liquid vs. Astralis finale again? Only time will tell.
What are your thoughts on Team Liquid and Astralis qualifying for the Katowice Major Champions Stage? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more IEM Katowice Major coverage, check us out here!
Published: Feb 22, 2019 12:20 am