flameZ and apEX starred in a 2-0 win.
Day 1 at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups gave us some very exciting matches. Group B saw GamerLegion nearly take down Vitality in two, while Astralis took a clean win over Falcons to start their Fall Groups run. That sets up the Upper Bracket Finals today. Vitality takes on Astralis in a must-win match for the international side.
Who'll move a step closer to the Fall Finals today?
Vitality's underwhelming start to the season
After a trophy-less season, Vitality's start has not been promising. The team should have been a favorite for the Esports World Cup, but Virtus.Pro repeated their win to eliminate them in 5th-8th. Moving to the Fall Groups, the opener against GamerLegion was, on paper, an easy win.
But the team struggled, only coming alive in map 3 to outlast their opponents. That does not bode well for Vitality in a Fall Groups match against a rejuvenated Astralis bringing new tactical depth.
Astralis, on the other hand, has been on the rise. Their previous season saw Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz take over as the IGL and the team leveled up to consistent playoff contenders. Now, they aim to challenge for trophies, and making their home event at the Fall Finals will be crucial.
Vitality & Astralis - Fall Groups Rosters
Vitality | Astralis |
|---|---|
| Dan "apEX" Madesclaire | Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz |
| Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut | Victor "Staehr" Staehr |
| Lotan "Spinx" Giladi | Martin "stavn" Lund |
| Shahar "flameZ" Shushan | Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard |
| William "mezii" Merriman | Alexander "br0" Bro |
| Rémy "XTQZZZ" Quoniam (C) | Casper "ruggah" Due (C) |
Map Veto
- Astralis removed Anubis
- Vitality removed Ancient
- Astralis picked Nuke
- Vitality picked Dust2
- Astralis removed Mirage
- Vitality removed Vertigo
- Inferno was left over
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Vitality steal Astralis' pick - Nuke - 13-7
The match started off on Nuke, with Vitality on the CT side. A pistol-retake set the stage and Vitality absolutely shined as they put up a massive CT hold.
Four in a row to start, and a quick answer back when Astralis did break through meant that Vitality had economic control through the half. And flameZ, in particular, was on fire, taking 12 kills on the ramp. The half closed out with a 9-3 lead for the international side.
The second half had Astralis taking the pistol rounds, but Vitality bided their time for the gun rounds and immediately rushed up to 12. Astralis barely held on for a couple more rounds, but a Vitality win was inevitable. 13-7, with Vitality now moving to their own pick.
Astralis nearly pull off the comeback - Dust2 - 13-11
Dust2 started off looking much the same as Nuke. After an initial pistol win for Astralis, Vitality took control and marched ever closer to the Fall Groups' final. Seven rounds went the way of the French-led squad, and Astralis looked out of contention.
That lead grew even bigger once Vitality had their pistol win under the belt, now sitting at 11-5 thanks to more brilliant calls from apEX.
Astralis' captain now took to the stage with back-to-back opening kills. And with a 1v2 clutch, device even closed it out to give his team some momentum. That started a streak of 5 in a row, where finally Astralis looked in control.
Yet the task was too daunting, and a single mistake cost them matchpoint and eventually the match itself as flameZ moved ahead of the B utility to mow down Astralis.
Vitality through the Fall Groups finals over Astralis
After that win, Vitality now sits just 1 match away from the Fall Finals in Copenhagen. Astralis, meanwhile, drop to the lower bracket, where they'll face the winner of GamerLegion vs Falcons to set up a potential Vitality rematch. Can the Danes make their way home?
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Featured Image via Stephanie Lindgren and BLAST
