Magisk leads Astralis to 2-0 win over Evil Geniuses in BLAST Premier Fall Groups cover image

Magisk leads Astralis to 2-0 win over Evil Geniuses in BLAST Premier Fall Groups

Magisk was the star in Astralis’ opening match at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups.

The opening BLAST Premier Fall Groups match saw Astralis take on Evil Geniuses. Evil Geniuses had a couple of changes to its roster and had to use a stand-in for this event. Here’s how the match played out and how Magisk’s dominance was the highlight of the series.

Dust 2, Nuke and Inferno were the three maps for this series. Evil Geniuses picked Dust 2, relying on the players’ aim and understanding of the map to get an early advantage. The more established Astralis roster went for the classic Danish pick, Nuke.

Dust 2 - EG's best chance, but Astralis wins

Dust 2 was the best map for Evil Geniuses. A few days before the tournament, the organization announced it would use daps and SPELLAN as stand-ins as two of it players are taking time off. The short notice was definitely a huge setback for EG’s chances at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals. But it also allows the team to focus on what’s coming next. 

Dust 2 started off with both teams winning a few rounds. The competition was intense between Astralis and Evil Geniuses as AStralis would always try to outwit their opponents. The battle between deciding whether to go A or the B bombsite was a tussle between the two in-game leaders. 


Speaking of In-Game Leaders, Magisk has been exemplary in the series. On Dust 2, the 23-year-old led from the front with some highlight-worthy clutches. His 1v3 clutch in the 11th round was particularly impressive.

Astralis had a dominating T side, winning 9 of the 12 rounds in the second half. As the newest member on the team, SPELLAN was rather unimpressive, but the expectations were low at such short notice.

Nuke - Magisk and Astralis continue where they left off

Astralis was always favored to win Nuke. The Danish team has the stability and the history on Nuke to power through to victory. After the dominant T-side on Dust 2, Astralis also had the momentum coming into the second map. 

The T-side dominance continued on Nuke, with Astralis up 11-3 at one point in time. MagisK, who was already the highest scorer on Dust 2, went rampant on Nuke, pushing through tight angles and getting entry frags regularly. 

The second-half was relatively even with both teams winning an almost equal number of rounds. But Astralis’ massive lead from the first half was too much for EG to overcome. Astralis won Nuke 16-10, and the series 2-0. 

With this win, Astralis will face the winner of Team Liquid and Vitality in the upper bracket finals. CS:GO fans can catch all the action live on Twitch

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