Clash of the titans - Astralis vs Liquid (IEM Global Challenge)

It’s beginning to be a tradition to close out the CS:GO calendar, with a thrilling grand final clash between Astralis and Liquid. The two CS titans have met in countless of big matches, and have over time established a dramatic and electrifying rivalry. Today will add another chapter to an already long telling when the Mighty Danes take upon the North American Superheroes at the Grand Final of IEM Global Challenge 2020.  

Astralis vs Liquid in Grand Finals

2018: ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals | Astralis winner

2018: ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals | Astralis winner

2018: ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier | Astralis winner

2018: Esports Championship Series Season 5 |Astralis winner

2018: Esports Championship Series Season 8 | Astralis winner

2019: BLAST Pro Global Final 2-0 | Astralis winner

Highlights from their Grand Final at Blast Pro Finals 2019:

Ones to watch

Astralis’ star player Nicolai “device” Reedtz has stepped up lately, proving once again that he’s one of the best in the game. The AWPer has been nearly unstoppable the last month and helped Astralis to top performances in both BLAST Premier Fall Finals and DH Masters Winter. 

One of the players who have to take on device this evening is Liquid’s Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski. EliGE have always been a profile for the team, but the 23-year old player has flourished for Liquid after arriving in Europe. The dangerous rifler presented an impeccable showing against BIG yesterday, being an instrumental factor for Liquid throughout the entire event.

Stats (last 30 days)

device | 1.25 rating | 1.36 K/D-ratio | 84.9 ADR

EliGE | 1.12 rating | 1.10 K/D-ratio | 80.2 ADR

Vetos

The veto looks to be rock solid, if you trust the recent vetoes from the two teams. Astralis have picked Mirage as their first ban for a long time now, which seems to be untouched due to Astralis’ small number of games on the map. For Liquid, their perma ban is Train, being a map, the North American team haven’t played for ages.

Potential veto (Win rate last 3 months):

Inferno | Astralis 82% | Liquid 50%

Nuke | Astralis 57%| Liquid 80%

Vertigo | Astralis 67% | Liquid 40%

Overpass | Astralis 71% | Liquid 80%

Dust2 | Astralis 56% | Liquid 86%

The Route to the Grand Final

Liquid

2-0 vs Heroic -- 0-2 vs NAVI -- 2-0 vs FURIA -- 2-0 vs BIG

Astralis

2-0 vs Complexity -- 0-2 vs BIG -- 2-1 vs Vitality -- 2-1 vs NAVI

Pley.gg is covering the Grand Final intensive both before, during and after the match - So be sure to check out the website!