Astralis vs Ninjas In Pyjamas

ESL Pro League Season 8 Europe,

Hello everyone, it's been a while since my last tip as I took a brief break from video games as a whole to get back in touch with everyday life. However, I still allowed myself to keep up with the scene and even enjoy the Major without the pressure of predicting such heavy match-ups. It is good to be back and what better way to start off than this match between current Major champions and world ranked number one; Astralis. And the revamped Nip squad that currently ranks ninth in the world. Let's break it down and get started.

Astralis :

Astralis is the one team in that seems to do everything right. Eco rounds, rotations, pistols, you name it, they've got it. Because of this, it has propelled them to lengths of which the Counter-Strike world has never seen. Unbelievable win-streaks and amazing comeback potential when put behind. Currently, the number one in the world and well deserved if I do say so myself. Astralis has had great success with Magisk as the most recent pick-up and Device is at an all-time high when it comes to performance. Astralis also are taking EPICENTER off next weekend and because of this, they have little to no stress about preparing for that offline event and can fully dial in for these online matches.

Astralis's map pool looks like this; Inferno is 14-3, Mirage is 7-3, Nuke is 9-0, Dust 2 is 6-1, Train is 6-1, Overpass is 4-2, and Cache is the permaban.

Ninjas in Pajamas :

The Ninjas have been on a steady incline since the addition of Lekro from Fnatic. It seems that dropping Draken from the starting line-up has done wonders for the confidence of the team. Even though they fell just short of the legends stage at the Major, they bounced back with a strong showing at Blast Pro Series Istanbul 2018. Where they came in third behind MIBR and their opponents today; Astralis. I see a lot of potential in Nip as they continue to show what they are made of. It is an incredibly competitive environment, but I feel the veterans of Dennis, Forest, and Get Right can all continue to make powerful strides.

Nip's map pool looks like this; Mirage is 6-8, Nuke is 4-6, Train is 6-3, Cache is 2-2, Inferno is 1-3, Overpass is 4-0 and Dust 2 is 1-0

Map Pick/Ban :

This is a best of one series, and because of the online format, the map will be chosen randomly. When it comes to map advantage, all maps favor Astralis besides their permaban of Cache. Though if it is Overpass, Nip may have some upset potential. Though with all but two maps in the favor of Astralis, I feel confident it will land on a map choice of theirs.

Final Thoughts:

When it comes down to the bare bones of who I think will come out on top of this match-up, I have to go with Astralis. They are playing world class Counter-Strike and are currently ranked number one in the entire online league with a record of 5-1. Nip, on the other hand, sit in the last place with a record of 0-5. Medium bet on Astralis to win this first of two online matches