Astralis defeat Ghost; book iBUYPOWER Masters grand final spot

Astralis have assured themselves a grand final spot at iBUYPOWER Masters 2019 after defeating Ghost 2-0 (16-2 on Train, 16-14 on Inferno).

After Ghost stunned FaZe 16-13 on Train in the Group B decider, the North Amerian squad earned their spot in the semifinals, where the Danes of Astralis awaited in a best-of-three showdown.

The series kicked off on Train, Ghost's map pick, where Astralis got things started on a positive note, winning the CT pistol and the subsequent anti-ecos, before the Danes' stout defense locked down five straight to make it 8-0. It wasn't until Ryan "⁠freakazoid⁠" Abadir & Matthew "⁠WARDELL⁠" Yu picked up double-kills in the ninth and tenth round to get Ghost on the board, but the Danes got back in control, winning yet another five in a row to take the 13-2 lead at halftime.

After the sides switched, Ghost looked to get back into the thick of things in the second half, but Astralis wasted no time locking down the T pistol and the following anti-eco. With the Danes at map point, WARDELL picked up two headshots with the Scout to grant his team the odd man advantage, but, in the end, Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander & Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth closed the map as 16-2 victors.

The series then landed on Inferno. Ghost kicked things off on their CT side, winning the pistol and the following anti-eco without losing a single man, but it wasn't long until Astralis got on the board, forcing the CTs to save - a move that paid off as freakazoid picked up a 3k to make it 3-1.

Ghost continued their defensive stand with three more on the board, which put Astralis' economy on the brink of being reset, but Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif bailed his team out with a triple to secure their second of the half (6-2). Joshua "⁠steel⁠" Nissan & co. rallied back to stay in control over the Danes, winning the next four out of six rounds, before Astralis secured their fifth and final of the half, with Ghost holding a firm 10-5 lead.

The second half was a different story as Astralis come out knocking from the start, winning the CT pistol and the following anti-ecos, before locking down two in a row, tying the game at 10-10. The Danes went on to secure their 11th, but Ghost rose from the dead to even things out once again (11-11).

Astralis remained keen on their defenses to collect two more on the board, but, by the skin of their teeth, Ghost managed to rally back with three huge offensive rounds to take the 14-13 lead. The Danes kept their composure and held the B bombsite to reach match point, where they then closed the map, 16-14, advancing to the grand final to face Liquid.