Astralis' slide continues into Last Chance Stage after two OT losses to Complexity

Neither Astralis nor Complexity are in good form right now, but a real lack of individual firepower ultimately cost the Danes.

Astralis' recent slump in form continued at the hands of Complexity as the North American side sent the Danes down to the Last Chance Stage at ESL Pro League.

It was a scrappy affair in which both teams struggled at points, but ultimately Complexity's superior individual prowess was enough to inch them over the line in OT on both Vertigo (19-17) and Inferno (16-14).

Complexity will continue their lower bracket campaign with a matchup against the loser of MOUZ vs. Imperial, whilst Astralis will fight for their tournament life against Rooster.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 20
12/09/2024	Complexity 19:30 MOUZ	Match
13/09/2024	Rooster 16:30 Astralis	Match

Astralis initially showed some signs of life after rebuilding their roster following their failure to qualify for PGL Major Copenhagen earlier this year, but since grabbing notable top four finishes at IEM Chengdu and ESL Pro League Season 19, form has waned.

After a disappointing loss to fnatic in their EPL opener, Astralis seemed to have been handed a favourable opponent in Complexity, who have been struggling for form themselves in recent months.

Clip: Astralis make baffling mid-round decision, costing them the round

Instead of taking advantage of the apparent opportunity, Astralis crumbled. They were lacking for individual impact throughout with Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz performing particularly poorly, so much so that the AWPer and IGL apologised for his recent performances on X just after the game.

device's team were also notably unconvincing on their offensive halves, and made some bizarre mid-round decisions at times.

Complexity were not much better as a team, but the far more consistent individual playmaking they displayed was enough to get them over the line. Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski was a steady presence throughout the series, whilst Håkon "⁠hallzerk⁠" Fjærli provided some memorable highlight moments and ultimately topped the scoreboard.

Clip: hallzerk locks the B site down with incredible 3k solo hold

Complexity won't be able to take too much heart from their performance this series as they were unable to convincingly put away a fairly poor Astralis side, but they were largely better on gun rounds on Inferno and at least had the individual firepower needed to get the job done.

Both of these teams have seen their stock fall steadily in recent times, and both will be expected to make changes sooner rather than later should their form continue along current trajectories, particularly if the Perfect World Shanghai Major cycle goes poorly.