Astralis survive ENCE in thrilling Elisa Masters Espoo quarter-final

Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth posted his best map rating in over a year to prevent Astralis from losing 0-2, after which the Danes won the series in overtime on the decider.

Astralis earned a spot in the Elisa Masters Espoo semi-finals by edging out ENCE 2-1, sending the international roster packing on the back of a hard-fought reverse sweep (11-16 on Mirage, 16-14 on Ancient, 22-20 Overpass.)

Astralis now advance to the semi-finals in Espoo, where they will battle a fnatic side that secured their own semi-final berth thanks to their first-place finish in Group B. Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer continued his tournament-leading form in this game, putting up a 1.29 rating and 96 ADR to carry his team on his back and guarantee a top-four finish.

Xyp9x, whose numbers have gravely dipped since Astralis' glory days, showcased a sudden spike in form and boasted his best map performance in over a year with a 1.84 rating in the most opportune moment to get his side through the line in a tight 16-14 win on Ancient.

ENCE, meanwhile, are out in 5-6th place. This early exit in the playoffs' first round marks the end of the competitive year for the European lineup, one which has been marred by a notable lack of silverware, even in spite of several grand final appearances. Paweł "⁠dycha⁠" Dycha was zoned in all series long even in spite of the loss, repeatedly keeping his side in the game with key clutches, high fragging output, and a team-high 1.26 rating in the series.

ENCE got off to the better start on Mirage, Astralis' pick, as they replied to an opening two-round spree by the Danes with a six-round streak of their own to post a healthy buffer. The European combine continued to dominate the game as the half progressed, a slow and methodical defensive wall greeting whatever Astralis threw at them as ENCE extended their lead even further, 10-2. Back-to-back heroics by Mikkel "⁠MistR⁠" Thomsen in the 13th and 14th rounds got his team back on the board, however, vital round wins allowing Astralis to keep their heads barely above water, 4-11, by the side swap.

Astralis won their second pistol round of the map to kick off their CT-side effort and used this new-found economic advantage to eat away at ENCE's lead, as they clawed their way back to just two rounds down, 9-11. ENCE weren't fazed by their foes' resurgence in form, adding four of the next five rounds to reach match point spurred on by crisp marksmanship from Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García. A lone round win by Astralis kept the Danes in the running, but a simple execute onto the A site by ENCE was enough for the European lineup to nab the final round they needed and put things to bed, 16-11.

The two teams moved over to Ancient for the series' second map and Astralis wasted no time in taking advantage of the CT-sided nature of the map, jumping out to a 6-1 lead midway through the half. Astralis' stranglehold on the map didn't let up as rounds passed by; ENCE were forced to use their fourth timeout before the end of their T-side effort as the Danes marched on to a 10-1 advantage. This tactical pause by ENCE immediately paid dividends for the team, with superb back-to-back clutches from dycha allowing the team to salvage what was left of the half and head into the break with four rounds to their name.

SunPayus gunned down three Astralis players with his Dual Berettas to win his side the pistol round, ENCE using this to also clinch the ensuing two rounds to pile on the pressure. Astralis, who were plagued by an uninspiring T-side in the event thus far, refused to allow things to slip away from them and added three hard-fought round wins to inch ever closer to match point, 14-8. ENCE had fully hopped into the driver's seat by now, with dycha's stellar form providing the brunt of a stalwart defensive line, which brought the European mixture all the way back to within just two rounds, 12-14. Alas, this uphill recovery by ENCE was all for nothing in the end, as Astralis eked out a win on Ancient in the last possible round of regulation thanks to a sneaky 1vs1 clutch by MistR.

Overpass played host to the deciding map and Astralis started off on the right foot, harnessing unrelenting utility usage to go up 5-1 on the CT-side. Astralis CT-sided dominance only got more intense from this point, with ENCE being shut down at every turn to gift the Danes a more than comfortable 12-3 lead by the interval. blameF and Kristoffer "⁠Kristou⁠" Aamand were particularly deadly, giving the European quintet no room to work with as they combined for 38 kills between the pair.

dycha, who was having a quiet map up until this point, made the crowd light up with a 1vs2 clutch in the pistol round to get ENCE's second comeback attempt of the series going. MistR had other ideas, however, salvaging SunPayus' fallen AWP to snipe two and steal the next two rounds right back, 14-4. With their backs against the wall, ENCE suddenly came alive and chained together a six-round streak to joint Astralis on double digits. ENCE's comeback effort was firmly in fifth gear now and the team, encouraged by a raucous crowd which was ecstatically supporting their home organisation, ran away with things to send the series to its second overtime in as many maps.

The two teams exchanged three rounds apiece in the first set of overtime, but it was Astralis who prevailed in the second. The Danish side won two close rounds on their CT-side effort, before following this up with another two-round spree on the offense to reign supreme with a laborious 22-20 scoreline.

Astralis now move forward to the semi-finals, where they will square up against fnatic, who are the highest-rated team in Espoo, on Saturday at 19:00 . The two squads have already locked horns in a best-of-one at Elisa Masters Espoo, when fnatic came out on top 16-7 in what was a relatively one-sided affair.