Last night, the IEM Global Challenge – the final major tournament of 2020 concluded with a well-deserved championship for the members of Astralis as they convincingly defeated Team Liquid in the grand final. This is their second championship just in December and also their fourth title of the year.
Across all three maps, Astralis demonstrated an incredibly stable performance from all members, particularly the duo of dev1ce and dupreeh, who had a standout day, repeatedly shining and securing crucial round wins. On the other side, Twistzz was the only player with a positive K/D and a Rating >1, while his teammates struggled to perform against the scientific and disciplined play of the Danes. The final score of 3-0 (16-11 Inferno, 16-11 Overpass, and 16-10 Dust2) proved this, and the members of Liquid once again watched their opponents ascend to the championship throne.
With this championship, it is highly likely that Astralis will reclaim the #1 position on the hltv rankings after losing it to Vitality, as this French representative has risen to the top spot with their victory at IEM Beijing-Haidian in the European region. If this becomes a reality, 2020 will be the third consecutive year that the Danes have dominated the world of CS:GO.
From left to right: Gla1ve, Zonic, Dupreeh, Xyp9x, Magisk, and Dev1ce
2020 can be considered a successful year for the members of Astralis, as despite a poor performance in the first half of the year with many changes in the roster, the Danish squad made a spectacular comeback in the final months. With the return of duo Xyp9x and Gla1ve after a period of health-related leave, they secured three prestigious championships in just three months: ESL Pro League Season 12 (defeating Na`vi 3-2), DreamHack Masters Winter 2020 (defeating Mousesports 3-1), IEM Global Challenge (3-0 Team Liquid), along with a second-place finish at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals.
Another part of the reason for this impressive return was the introduction of a lineup with substitute players on certain maps (like Bubzkji on Nuke) to make their playstyle less predictable and ensure the team’s consistency. Astralis was the first to implement a six-player lineup, and many other top teams quickly followed suit, such as Vitality (with Nivera) and Na`vi (with B1T).
With a united and disciplined team filled with outstanding individuals and a forward-thinking mindset compared to other teams, it is not too bold to say that Astralis is the greatest team of all time. Even during short periods of declining performance, the Danes have always returned stronger and reclaimed their throne convincingly.