HooXi’s steady leadership helps Astralis qualify for playoffs; FURIA, NAVI, and MIBR also advance.

Astralis has secured a spot in the playoffs at PGL Astana 2025, following a hard-earned 2-0 victory over Virtus.pro in today’s studio-stage matches. The result is a positive sign for the Danish side, who have made measured progress in recent weeks. Their performance, built on coordinated play and disciplined mid-round calling, shows potential heading into the final stage of the event, which will move to Barys Arena later this week.

The victory ends a long winless streak against Virtus.pro and places Astralis in the top eight. Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, newly added to the roster, brought composure and structure to the squad, while players like stavn and device offered reliable fragging support in key rounds.

Dust2: Composure Under Pressure

Astralis came into Dust2 with a poor record on the map in 2025, and Virtus.pro looked poised to capitalize, building an 8-4 halftime lead. But Astralis responded with a more decisive T-side, leveraging HooXi’s mid-round adjustments and clutch moments to take the map in double overtime, 19-17. HooXi topped the scoreboard with 28 kills, combining solid calling with unexpected individual impact.

On Inferno Astralis was supposed to take down Virtus.pro and win the match on their own map pick, but a horrible start to map gave VP a way back into the game. Evgenii ‘FL1T’ Lebedev was the pivotal player for the Russian team to equalize the match.

Ancient: Adjustments Pay Off

On Ancient, Astralis made better use of spacing and map control. Midway through the match, they shifted roles to give stavn control of Cave, which proved effective against Virtus.pro’s defensive setups. The Danes closed the map 13-9, securing the 2-1 and punching their ticket to the playoff bracket.

The result reflects a promising start for this iteration of Astralis, though tougher challenges await when the tournament transitions to the arena stage. Consistency and continued development around HooXi’s leadership will be key.

FURIA Ends 213-Day Playoff Drought

FURIA defeated ODDIK 2-0 to qualify for the playoffs, ending a seven-month absence from top-eight finishes. The Brazilian squad has undergone significant changes, with international players like YEKINDAR and molodoy adding much-needed firepower and tactical variety.

FalleN’s transition to a rifler continues to pay off, allowing KSCERATO and WOOD7 to focus on stabilizing the CT side. YEKINDAR’s eco-round quad-kill and molodoy’s growing confidence in his debut event highlight a team that’s finding balance just in time for playoff contention.

malbsMd Lifts G2 Over BIG

G2 kept their playoff hopes alive with a dominant 2-0 over BIG. The standout was Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, whose 1.87 rating across both maps set the tone. G2 tailored their game plan to let malbsMd take space and apply pressure, especially on Dust2 where he posted a 2.81 rating in the second half.

MIBR Shuts Down paiN Gaming

MIBR advanced with a 2-0 victory against regional rivals paiN Gaming. Despite early deficits on both maps, they turned the tide through strong individual performances from insani and brnz4n. A triple Glock kill from insani in the second pistol round of Mirage proved pivotal.

NAVI Outlasts Aurora in Tight Series

NAVI booked their playoff spot with a 2-0 win over Aurora. Both maps were closely contested, but NAVI’s late-round coordination and strong performances from b1t and iM secured the result. Aurora’s XANTARES impressed individually, but NAVI’s superior structure and adaptability made the difference.

Artem ‘r1nkle’ Moroz stars as NIP survives

Ninjas in Pyjamas eliminated HOTU from the tournament with a well-deserved 2-0 win. On both Ancient and Nuke the Ukrainian AWP’er Artem ‘r1nkle’ Moroz was the main star for NIP with a 1.74 rating on the two maps.

Today’s Results – PGL Astana 2025 (May 13)

• Astralis 2–1 Virtus.pro
  Dust2 19–17, Inferno 9-13, Ancient 13–9
• FURIA 2–0 ODDIK
  Anubis 13–7, Nuke 13–6
• G2 2–0 BIG
  Dust2 13–7, Mirage 13–4
• MIBR 2–0 paiN Gaming
  Train 13–7, Mirage 13–8
• Natus Vincere 2–0 Aurora
  Train 13–11, Inferno 13–10
• NIP 2-0 HOTO

With five teams now qualified for the playoffs, the final Swiss stage matches will determine the remaining three slots. The playoff phase will take place at the Barys Arena, where teams will face a new level of pressure and crowd presence.

Tomorrow’s Matches – Final Day of the Swiss Stage

The last day of the Swiss stage will determine the final three teams advancing to the playoffs. All matches are best-of-three elimination series.

Do or Die – Qualification Matches (All Best-of-3)

• 07:00 (CEST) – Ninjas in Pyjamas vs G2
• 10:00 (CEST) – ODDIK vs Aurora
• 13:00 (CEST) – MIBR vs Virtus.pro

Winners will advance to the playoff stage at Barys Arena.