Astralis vs Virtus Pro

ECS Season 5 Europe ,

ECS has made it's way to our viewing eyes as the regular season for both Europe and North American has begun! With the last couple weeks having qualifiers to get all competing parties in the league, we have finally gotten everyone in and are fit to start. Kicking off ECS is a match up between the Danish Astralis and the Polish Virtus Pro in a best of two where each game will be played individually. This tip will be predicated on the first game of the series. So without further introduction, let's break down each team.

Astralis :

Astralis has had no issues in the past making it out of the group stages of any event they are in; Astralis are a team that always has had good success against some of the better teams in the world, Virtus Pro being one of them. With their new pick up of Magisk, their new primary rifler, Astralis have found more success than when they played with Kjaerbye. This is a step up for the squad as a whole and with that just little extra bit of talent in reserve helps them get past even the toughest of foes when the games run deep into the later rounds. Will Astralis beat Virtus Pro today? We will go over some maps and find out.

Astralis's maps are as followed ; Train is 6-3, Inferno is 4-4, Nuke is 4-2, Overpass is 5-1, Mirage is 2-3, Cache is 1-3, and Cobblestone is the perma ban.

Virtus Pro :

Virtus Pro, even in light of their new changes with the pick up of MICHU, they have yet to really dig their heels in and find success. Each game has almost been getting progressively worse and I don't believe they have won but five of their last forty pistol rounds. Early game leads are important for a teams moral and without Virtus Pro gaining the ability to get ahead, this often leads to frustration among the team and once behind for Virtus Pro, it's hard for them to make a comeback. I don't see them having success in the future unless they can combat these early game set backs.

Virtus Pro's maps are as followed ; Mirage is 3-4, Cache is 1-3, Inferno is 0-4, Cobblestone is 2-2, Nuke is 2-1, Train is 1-2, and Overpass is the perma ban.

Map Pick/Ban :

Since this series is a best of one. Were looking for six total bans and one remaining map. Starting with Astralis, they will ban out Cobblestone, Mirage, and Nuke. All maps Virtus Pro have had success on. Virtus Pro will answer them by banning Train, Inferno, and Overpass. Leaving just Cache as the remaining map.

Final Thoughts:

Though Cache might not be the map played as Nuke is a good option for both teams. I feel regardless of the map being played, Astralis are just in better form right now and have been having success with their newest pick up, unlike Virtus Pro. Virtus Pro have a lot of work to do before I feel they are ready to begin to compete at the level that is required for the Pro Leagues. I hope they have a good game but a medium bet on Astralis is the way to go.