The FaceIT London Major is the last CS: GO Major for 2018. With a prize pool of $1 million, this event is the pinnacle of prestige in esports. As the SSE Arena filled with CS: GO fans, this was the first in a long time that the Top two Counter-Strike teams would reach the finals of a Major.

Na’Vi and Astralis fought their way through a strenuous Group stage and playoffs en route to the Finals. Na’Vi, in particular, had a very tough time in the Group stage having faced the likes of Astralis, Faze Clan, NIP and Fnatic. They did manage to secure the 3 wins needed to qualify for the Playoffs [ The Champions stage]. Astralis, on the other hand, had a relatively easier time. But they displayed their dominance over their opponents and have continued to do so till the finals.

Astralis managed to win the series 2-0 after a dominating performance during the Grand finals. Na’Vi never really looked present on the server, especially with their star-performer S1mple unable to get anything going for him.

Map Vetoes

1. Astralis vetoes Train.

2. Natus Vincere vetoes Cache.

3. Astralis picks Nuke.

4. Natus Vincere picks Overpass.

5. Natus Vincere vetoes Dust2.

6. Astralis vetoes Mirage.

7. Inferno is the last map.

Both the teams obviously prefer to veto Cache. But as we have seen in this veto, Na’Vi was more scared of Astralis possibly picking Cache. They stuck with Cache as their standard veto. This allowed Astralis the flexibility to pick their map, Nuke. Nuke is a map where Astralis have had a 100% win rate [ Na’Vi, on the other hand, have a 75% win rate].

Map 1: Astralis picks Nuke

Astralis picks Nuke as their first map and this was not totally unexpected. It was a very standard pick and they have just been so dominant on this map. Traditionally Danish teams have always shown extraordinary dominance on Nuke. Their CT sides [ and now, their T-sides as well] reek of great coordination and synergized movement on the map.

The map started with Na’Vi winning the pistol round. Flamie was everywhere with his USP-S picking up three headshots on the first round. Na’Vi did pick up the next two rounds mostly based off the weak buy from Astralis. But despite Astralis not buying anything, they were able to put a dent on the Na’Vi economy, picking up multiple kills on every full-eco round. But once Astralis picked up their weapons, it seemed nothing that Na’Vi did would actually stop the Danish team. Astralis was able to win 9 rounds consecutively boosting their economy and constantly pressurizing Na’Vi.

Astralis always kept Na’Vi guessing with their strategies. Na’Vi did manage to win round based off some amazing individual play by Electronic. The young prodigy was able to get a 1v3 to secure the 4th win for Natus Vincere.

The Second Half

As Na’Vi switched to the T side, the first pistol round became all important. Once again, Natus Vincere managed to win the pistol round. However, Astralis was quick with the retaliation on the CT side. They stacked the B Bombsite and were able to bait Na’Vi into losing the round. Na’Vi was quick to respond on the 3rd round of the second half. Winning this round meant that they broke the Astralis economy and gained the superior weapons at least for some time to come. But as we approach the 19th round, a simple smoke by Glaive stopped Na’Vi dead in their tracks. Na’Vi wanted to execute on the outer open area with the wall of smokes. But as Glaive put forth one smoke, Na’Vi were just too scared to rush through the smoke without any knowledge of the Astralis players’ positioning.

Na’Vi wasted a lot of time [ about 20 seconds ] waiting for the smoke to dissipate. They were able to get onto the lower bombsite. But with time running out and the CT side already in place to defend the bombsite, Na’Vi had to waste valuable time. They were unable to place the bomb in time despite it being a 3v1. This round could have potentially been the start of a long comeback for Na’Vi, but some poor decision making meant that they had to contend with a loss. After this, it was only a matter of time for Astralis to close out Nuke and start preparing for the second map.

Na’Vi’s Map Pick – Overpass

‘Overpass’ is a map that was once the best map for Astralis. However, of late, they have not seen a lot of play on Overpass. This has mostly been due to constant vetoes by other teams as well as Astralis focussing on other maps such as Dust 2, Inferno etc. For Na’Vi this map would obviously be a big deal if they would have to win a match against Astralis.

The First Half

Astralis continued to be as dominant in the pistol round as they had been on Nuke. With Dupreeh constantly engaging on Overpass A long area, Na’Vi could not leave him alone. But just as they were about to execute, Dupreeh pushed through and managed to get an all-important kill. With the A long area firmly under their control, Astralis was able to focus on the Short area. The next round was a formality as Astralis won it with ease. Dupreeh continued to pick on A long and got multiple kills in the region.

Na’Vi decided to do a surprise force buy on the third round. Picking up two AK’s and some upgraded pistol, this would be perfect if they would manage to break into the Astralis economy. The round went down to the last man standing as S1mple was unable to win the 1v1 situation against Glaive due to lack of information. Na’Vi was able to win their first round only in Round 5 after two excellent entry frags. Na’Vi took the score to 3-4 before Astralis managed to win a round in the eighth round. But Na’Vi always kept the Astralis economy down. They won the next round [ with Device saving an AWP] and broke the Astralis economy.

The score was tied up at 5-5 at this point in time. Despite Na’Vi being much superior in terms of the weapons, a fantastic triple boost saw Astralis draw the first blood using just USP. They continued their momentum and ensured that they won an unlikely round yet again on Overpass. It was a huge eco round win for Astralis, one that would give them a significant boost in terms of the scoreline. Astralis was able to win 3 of the next four rounds ensuring a 9-6 first half.

The Second half – An explosive start for Astralis

Nuke saw Na’Vi winning both the pistols, but this time it was Astralis that won the second pistol as well. Astralis was able to just dry rush the B Bombsite and get all the necessary frags to win the round. Na’Vi was simply unable to show up on the CT Side taking the score to 12-6 and then to 14-6 ultimately. A few rounds were extremely close for the CIS squad, but they lack rounds and that was proving to be a problem.

Na’Vi won their first CT round on the 21st round, but that only meant that they had to win the next round convincingly to build their economy. Na’Vi won the next round based on a defuse and with two members surviving. An eco rush through B monster meant that Na’Vi had a chance to stabilise their economy. Despite having a very strong start to the 24th round, Na’Vi was simply unable to get the important frags as they proceeded to lose the round. Edward, in particular, missed crucial spray on B short. Na’Vi looked really pressurized as they lost the round, and it broke their economy.

The CIS team had a very weak buy on the last round of the Major. They went into the round via 2 MP9s and 3 pistols. Astralis had a clinical finish to the Major and cemented 2018 as the Astralis era.

Astralis – The best team in the world

Astralis is current title holder of 4 the most prestigious CS series: 🏆VALVE Major

🏆ESL Pro League (EPL)

🏆Esports Championship Series (ECS)

🏆ELEAGUE Premier — kiTTz (@ESPORTkittz) September 23, 2018

Astralis win the Major and take home a prize pool of $500,000 for the first place finish. But more than that, the Astralis team truly cemented themselves as the undisputed best team in the CS: GO scene right now. They made it look so easy in the finals, despite Na’Vi being an exceptionally skilled team.

It was a mixture of excellent individual skill as well as out-stratting their opponents. They had complete knowledge of their opponents’ movement across the map.

This have been my dream for so many Years. — Emil Reif (@MagiskCS) September 23, 2018