Community Reacts: Astralis comeback against ATK
Both ATK and Astralis found themselves in danger of being eliminated following losses in their opening two matches, but no one expected Astralis to be the side that bowed out of Group D play first. ATK were relegated to this elimination bout following losses to ENCE and Liquid, while Astralis were bested by Spirit and NAVI to be pushed to the brink.
ATK emphatically took control of the decider with a stalwart defense on Inferno, prompting hopeful reactions like this for awakening North American fans everywhere:
It's funny, because when North America is even in the process of pulling off an upset of this magnitude, the reactions are that of immense European pride for the non-North American elements of the roster.
Followed by other parties questioning all of the decisions made eons ago that could have created an alternate reality where NA never managed to upset their European opposition.
There were some great dad puns from some of Counter Strike's most beloved personalities.
And ultimately ATK conceded overtime to the storied Danish roster with an equally ineffective offensive half, which prompted another visceral choke reaction from NA fans around the globe. This match had a bit of everything when it came to putting us all through a roller coaster of emotions. Overtime was hard to watch for those who have grown accustomed to cheering for the underdog in the midst of March Madness.
But at the end of the day, it was clear that the brightest days are yet to come for an ATK roster that was one round away from putting Major winners on a plane:
