Astralis vs Ninjas in Pyjamas – IEM Katowice 2019

IEM Katowice, the first Counter-Strike Major: Global Offensive (CS: GO) of 2019, started on February 13 and it will run through March 3 in Katowice, Poland. The tournament brings together a total of 24 teams and will give us $ 1 million in total. The big winner takes home half of the prize. Denmark’s Astralis is considered the favorite team after winning ten trophies in 2018.

The battle between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Astralis seems to be the highlight of the playoff stage. The NiP side has shown some terrible performances because it has been on the verge of being eliminated on several occasions where they just survived. The side was not lethal as it used to be, with veterans F0rest and GeT_Right among their ranks. Meanwhile, Astralis are undoubtedly the kings of the modern-day CS: GO competitive landscape. They have made exciting records and were the richest CS: GO team in the world in 2018. Let’s have a comprehensive look at the team.

Astralis

Astralis has previously won a Major twice and they should succeed at it again. They will touch the record of three wins. While the Danish team comes into the tournament as big favorites. In 2018, Astralis won 15 tournaments, and when the year was over, their dominance was reflected on the world ranking where they sat comfortably at the first place. Moreover, all the team’s five players were in the top 20 in the individual ranking, an incredible feat that no other team has achieved before.

A great year for Astralis

Despite the great success, Astralis constantly tries to optimize the small details. These were the words of Astralis’ trainer, Danny “zonic” Sørensen. According to the coach, the Danes made their mark in history as one of the most successful eSports teams ever, but we’ve also been constantly working to improve all the little things in the game and beyond the server.

Many probably do not imagine how much the players work with both games, tactics, communication, physical health, analysis, and mental balance. The competitive landscape of CS: GO is a completely different world than it was just 2-3 years ago. The Danes always prepare for the worst, and are constantly evaluating themselves psychologically and mentally and are not dependent on their past success for future endeavors.

Reigning Supreme in Katowice

The unquestionable favorites after the first stage performances are the Astralis players. The Danish boys are the main candidate for the titles with a flawless 3-0 record. The team that won 10 trophies in 2018 showed in the IEM Katowice Major 2019 group stage that the side is still amongst the best in CS: GO’s competitive landscape. The Astralis were the first team to qualify for the playoffs of the competition, having advanced to the next round winning all three matches that the team played. In their debut, the Danes found no difficulties to beat compLexity by 16-6 and to stay 1-0 in the tournament. They then clashed with Cloud9’s Americans, resulting in an easy win by 16-0. In their second meeting, they defeated and utterly humiliated Cloud9. This is probably the first case in the history of Major rank tournaments when the match ends with such an incredibly one-sided result.

After entering the playoffs, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Nicolai “device” Reedtz fell ill with the flu. Reedtz was ill before the match with Renegades but completed it with the best statistics among all the participants. He made 71 kills in the three maps played and died 43 times. Both players should have enough time to recover to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Favorite of the favorites

Astralis has become the favorite of the favorites to win the Intel Extreme Masters Season XIII – Katowice Major 2019 they have been tipped by many analysts of the game to shine while the team that could spoil Astralis hopes is Liquid. It is no surprise that Astralis is the number one candidate to win. For many months, the Danish organization has maintained its position as a leader in rankings.

Ninjas in Pyjamas

Led by Patrik veterans “f0rest” Lindberg and Christopher ” GeT_RiGhT ” Alesund, the Ninjas in Pyjamas are back to the playoffs of a Major after more than two years without being among the eight best teams in an event of this category, the last time was in MLG Columbus 2016. The team started their journey in IEM Katowice 2019 on the right foot, winning the NRG by 16-14, but in the next game ended up being defeated by Team Liquid by 16-13, ending the first day 1-1. The Swedes then took on HellRaisers and shined as they emerged victorious by 16-5. In a best-of-three game for the playoff spot, the NiP ended up losing 0-2 to MIBR but recovered and managed to win the Team Vitality by 2-1, stamping its move to the knockout.

Final Verdict

Danes will not be able to meet with Natus Vincere or Team Liquid until the very end. Their way to the grand finale will be relatively straightforward – Ninjas in Pyjamas is a decent side, but honestly, they don’t come close to the class of Astralis, Dennis “dennis” Edman and the company is just not ready to cope with the Astralis side.

Astralis dominated the previous season, they played and won the most. In the winter, there were no rookies in their ranks, so it’s obvious that they are the Major’s decisive favorite. The chances of the other teams are unknown because apart from Na’Vi, everyone changed their lineups. Astralis and Team Liquid start as favorites although we are already used in the final stages to see how pressure and nerves play tricks. An error at this point means going home with nothing in your pockets.

Astralis in 2018 closed a sublime year, proclaiming itself as the richest Esports team in CS: GO. Winning this Major will make a big difference with the rest of the teams and will leave the face of the rest of the year in terms of economic benefits.

Astralis victory

Odds on bookmakers

Bookmakers	Astralis Odds		Ninjas in Pyjamas Odds
	European	American	European	American
GG.bet	1.15	-666.67	5.32	+432.00
1Xbet	1.16	-625.00	5.50	+450.00
Bet365	1.14	-714.29	5.00	+400.00
Betway	1.15	-666.67	4.75	+375.00