After losing two opening matches in the CS2 Budapest Major, Astralis have three must-win battles, or they are just packing back home.
The golden era of Astralis has been in the history books for a long time already, and it feels great to see Magisk and dev1ce back at a Major in one team. It can be a short treat for fans, so let's not miss the remaining matches of Astralis in Stage 2 of the StarLadder Major 2025 in Budapest. They still can pull off a comeback and qualify for Stage 3, right?
Astralis with dev1ce and Magisk in the roster won the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, and it was their fourth title. As part of NiP, Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz competed in the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, and they were in the top 8. With Team Falcons, Emil "Magisk" Reifwas at BLAST.tv Major Austin 2025 but couldn't make it out of Stage 2.
Both players are still very strong. The creative offense by Magisk spreads chaos and earns kills. The AWP of dev1ce delivers tricky shots across the maps.
Still, the opening results of Astralis in the Budapest Major could be better. They lost to NiP and M80, so the elimination hammer is a threat in each following round.
Esports.gg’s full coverage of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is powered by GG.BET. Head to GG.BET to explore the latest odds, make your picks, and get more involved in every moment of this top-tier competition.
Match 1: Astralis versus FlyQuest
Banned maps | Map 1 | Map 2 | Map 3 | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuke, FLY Dust II, AST Train, AST Ancient, FLY | Mirage, FlyQuest pick | Overpass, Astralis pick | Inferno, decider | AST 2:0 FLY |
| AST 13:5 FLY | AST 13:11 FLY | - |
The first elimination match for dev1ce and Magisk in the Budapest Major Stage 2 was against FlyQuest. It was a very unpredictable battle.
Astralis won it, eliminated FlyQuest from the tournament, and advanced to the next challenge in Round 4.
FlyQuest had a good start on Mirage, but after three rounds, their play returned to the ways of uncertainty and some disorientation. Astralis pretty much dominated the first half on the CT side, and they lost no round as Ts.
Overpass turned out to be more competitive, a back-and-forth exchange of rounds. Only close to the end, Astralis found their CT play and blew FlyQuest with a nice series of kills.
"Of course. [I feel] better than yesterday, just happy right now, but a lot of job to do. [...] The CT side [on Overpass] was a bit tougher than usual for us. Usually, we have better mind control. Some of the rounds were tough, losing OP early and not having OP in the second buy rounds. Stuff like that made the game a little bit harder for us. But we managed to come through at the end.
Yes, [we can do a reverse sweep]. You have to believe."
Stage 1 powerhouses, who fell apart quite badly
The story of FlyQuest's run in Stage 1 was cheerful, as the team finished with a perfect 3:0. They absolutely destroyed Fluxo in the advancement match back then.
The start of Stage 2 was an unpleasant wake-up call. FlyQuest lost 2:13 to NAVI, without taking even one round in the first half on Nuke.
The second loss was to TYLOO, with a 7:13. The final score looks better, but that was 1:11 in the first half. The recovery attempt was decent but insufficient.
FlyQuest is on a harsh rollercoaster ride, and they can be on the way up to battle Astralis or on the fall to the abyss of elimination.
If you wonder what happens with other guys from that legendary Astralis roster, here is a quick recap as of the end of 2025.
- Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth is an Assistant Coach in MOUZ.
- Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen announced his retirement during the Austin Major. He is an analyst at BLAST events.
- Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander revealed his move to the position of a head coach during the Budapest Major. It's unclear if he already has the job.
- The coach, Danny "zonic" Sørensen, has the same role in Team Falcons.
The current version of Astralis may have matches until the end of Stage 2 and advance further. Or they can be eliminated.
