Astralis’ run through the European closed qualifier for StarSeries Fall ended on July 24 after HEROIC defeated the Danish-majority squad 2-0 in Group B’s decider match.
The loss marked Astralis’ first setback since Filip “NEO” Kubski took over as coach. The team’s qualification hopes ended in this event, but Astralis still has a path forward in BLAST Bounty after beating Nemesis in a comeback victory during the Round of 32.
StarSeries Fall playoffs are set
The qualifier’s top two teams from each group advanced to a single-elimination playoff bracket. The opening round will take place on July 25, with the matchups scheduled to begin with HOTU versus INFINITE at 13:00, followed by Aurora against Echo at 15:00 and magic versus Gentle Mates at 16:00.
The day will close with Ninjas in Pyjamas facing HEROIC at 18:00. That series gives the teams another meeting after Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated HEROIC in last week’s Stake Ranked Episode 3 upper-bracket final.
INFINITE also secured its playoff place after Henrich “sl3nd” Hevesi posted a 1.54 rating in the team’s only three-map series of the day against Nemesis. Gentle Mates beat Walczaki, while Echo defeated Nuclear TigeRES for the second time in the qualifier.
Two playoff winners will qualify for the StarSeries Fall $500,000 LAN in September. They will join Vitality, Natus Vincere, FURIA, MOUZ, and the winners of the North American and South American qualifiers.
Astralis will now have to focus on its remaining BLAST Bounty campaign after missing out on the StarSeries Fall qualification spots.
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