Astralis go the distance against MIBR in Turkey; win Blast Pro Series Istanbul
The main day of BLAST Pro Series Istanbul concluded today, and it was a jam-packed day of action as the final three rounds of games in the group were played, as well as the BLAST Pro Standoff as well as the eventual final.
Round 3 started off with MIBR taking down Space Soldiers, putting a dent in the home team's hopes of reaching the final as they looked to nail down a second place spot. A 16-8 win for them on Mirage, after a close 8-7 half, saw the Brazilians shake off their draw against NiP from yesterday.
This was followed up by Cloud9 chalking up another loss, this time to recent Major champions Astralis as they continued their destructive run through the competition. Seven rounds were all Cloud9 were able to claim against Astralis, most of which came in a close 9-6 half on Inferno. Astralis pushed on to take the 16-7 win, for a 3-0 record and seeing the Americans take a 0-3 record.
The final game in the round saw Virtus.pro and NiP clash in the battle of the legendary names, and it was the Swedes who prevailed in the close match on Cache. NiP had to constantly battle in this match, where after a 8-7 half they slowly wrestled control in the second half. Flashbacks to yesterday's draw were surely in their mind at map point, but they avoided falling for a 16-13 win.
The fourth round opened up with Cloud9 getting their first win in the tournament. A dominant first half saw William "RUSH" Wierzba pick up some early-in-the-year form, leading his team to a 12-3 lead at half time. The second half was much closer, with Space Soldiers taking a more controlling stake in the game, but Cloud9 got the required rounds for the 16-11 win on Mirage.
This was followed by the closest game Astralis had faced so far in the tournament, between them and NiP. A first half on Nuke was close, with the teams only separated by a piece of paper, before Astralis woke up in the second half after a good opening display from the Swedes for a 16-11 win.
The final match of this round saw MIBR confirm their spot in the final, with a game against Virtus.pro. The Brazilian/American team had to overcame a Polish start, before cementing a strong 10-5 half. The second half was a slightly closer affair, although Jake "Stewie2K" Yip's performance pushed them up to a 16-11 win.
The fifth and final round of games was opened by a preview of the final, with Astralis facing MIBR. The two teams faced each other on Dust2, and although MIBR got a strong five round start off, the Danes instantly answered back with a run of six rounds. The two teams then traded rounds towards the end of the half, but it was Astralis 8-7 up then. The second half was a blow-out, with Astralis winning all eight rounds played for a 16-7 win.
Next up was between Space Soldiers and Virtus.pro, where the two battled on Dust2. It was Space Soldiers in control throughout, thanks to the clean six round start they got on their T-side which lead up to a 9-6 halftime score. The second half was another display of control, picking up a 13-6 lead straight out of the gates. Although Virtus.pro started to narrow the lead, it was the Turkish team who closed it with a 16-10 win.
The final game of the round-robin group saw Cloud9 face off against NiP. Although the America-cored team picked up the pistol round and following anti-eco, NiP answered back with a force in the third round, and from there were flying. A bunch of rounds collected by the Swedes were no match for Maikil "Golden" Selim's Swedish style, with NiP going in 9-6 ahead at the half. The second half was no respite for Cloud9, only picking up two rounds in total in the second half, as NiP went in 16-8 winners.
Before the Grand Final between Astralis and MIBR took place, the tournament saw a 1v1 BLAST Standoff match between NiP and Space Soldiers take place. Effectively it was a NiP demolition, as the Swedish team picked up all but one of the five wins, where Dennis "dennis" Edman lost 7-2 to Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş. This meant NiP picked up another $20,000 to add to their third place prize.
Now it was time for the Grand Final. Astralis and MIBR were set to face off on a potential of three maps, with the teams vetoing down to Train, Overpass and Inferno.
It wasn't a nice view for MIBR on Train, where Astralis were smashing their opponents down in dominant fashion. It was the Nicolai "device" Reedtz show on the map, where the player managed to get 20 kills in six rounds, as he shredded MIBR's hopes time and time again. It took until the eighth round for MIBR to win a round, and the 15th for their second.
The second half looked to be a change of fortune, taking the pistol round before a pistol force from Astralis ended their hopes, with the Danish team winning 16-3. device ended up with a 2.72 rating on this map.
Overpass followed, and it started off looking like a repeat performance from the Danes. The CT-side pistol round couldn't be converted by MIBR, with device and co. pushing on for an exceptionally strong first half as they picked up a sizeable lead, going 10-3 ahead. MIBR were able to take the final two rounds to limit the damage, at only 10-5 behind.
The second half was MIBR's plaything. Finally being able to convert the pistol round win for all three rounds, MIBR started to close the gab between them and the Danish squad. Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo and co. weren't looking to be out in two maps, as they slowly edged up enough rounds to eventually even up the map at 12-12. Astralis immediatley stopped them from taking the lead, picking up a 14th round as they loomed down on that map win.
A series of round wins from the Brazilian/American team throughout the half had destroyed Astralis' economy. MIBR were on the front foot once again, forcing the game even, then finally claiming the win at 16-14.
Inferno loomed as the final map, and many expected fireworks as has been the tradition when it's been that third map. MIBR picked up the pistol round but for the third time in the series they failed to convert it further. Astralis then went on a six round run to start a controlling lead. MIBR weren't looking to be shut out, as the two teams fought for control of the remaining rounds, as Marcelo "coldzera" David performs at a top level to help his team over the line. Astralis secured enough rounds to remain in control, but only just at 8-7.
The second half started off with a strong Astralis site take on the pistol round, before they converted the following two rounds to extend their lead. The first buy round belonged to MIBR, before Astralis flipped the table to stay ahead. MIBR weren't out, as they immediately answered back, before Stewie2K picked up a 3k as he was the single man to protect the B-site to claim double-digits.
It was Tarik "tarik" Celik who picked up three to even the map up at 12-12. Just as it seems that MIBR were starting to get into a good bit of form and to potentially take a lead, Astralis picked up a full set of CZs and put themselves straight back in the lead. The two teams then repeated the ping-pong, with MIBR evening the scores and Astralis taking the lead once again, at 14-13.
The ping-pong finally ended with Astralis committing to a very late B-site take, seeing them secure map, series and championship point. From there coldzera forced a final round from the A-site pit as his team looked to complete a fantastic reverse sweep and comeback with a traditional Inferno overtime. The Danes weren't going to let that happen, dethroning the reigning champions in the final round for a 16-14 win.
AstralisMIBR| Astralis |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nicolai 'device' Reedtz |
79 - 48 | +31 | 97.2 | 69.6% | 1.48 |
| Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth |
42 - 41 | +1 | 64.6 | 72.2% | 1.04 |
| Lukas 'gla1ve' Rossander |
46 - 42 | +4 | 70.7 | 69.6% | 1.03 |
| Peter 'dupreeh' Rasmussen |
51 - 50 | +1 | 70.3 | 68.4% | 1.02 |
| Emil 'Magisk' Reif |
44 - 45 | -1 | 64.0 | 74.7% | 1.00 |
| MIBR |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marcelo 'coldzera' David |
48 - 43 | +5 | 67.6 | 67.1% | 1.00 |
| Fernando 'fer' Alvarenga |
53 - 52 | +1 | 68.9 | 72.2% | 0.98 |
 Tarik 'tarik' Celik |
44 - 54 | -10 | 67.0 | 62.0% | 0.90 |
| Jake 'Stewie2K' Yip |
47 - 61 | -14 | 68.7 | 58.2% | 0.86 |
| Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo |
34 - 53 | -19 | 54.7 | 58.2% | 0.75 |
The full standings for BLAST Pro Series Istanbul are:
1st: Astralis - $125,000
2nd: MIBR - $50,000
3rd: 
NiP - $25,000 + $20,000 BLAST Stand-off Prize
4th: 
Space Soldiers - $15,000
5th: 
Virtus.pro - $10,000
6th: Cloud9 - $5,000
