Astralis Exits StarSeries Fall Qualifier After Loss to HEROIC

Astralis has officially been knocked out of the European closed qualifier for the StarSeries Fall tournament after suffering a 0-2 defeat against HEROIC in the decisive match of Group B.

This loss marks the first major setback for the Danish team since Filip "NEO" Kubski took over as coach. Despite this elimination, Astralis remains in contention in the BLAST Bounty tournament, having secured a comeback victory over Nemesis in the Round of 32.

In other matches, Henrich "sl3nd" Hevesi delivered an impressive performance with a 1.54 rating to help INFINITE defeat Nemesis in the only three-map series of the day. Gentle Mates also had a dominant win against Walczaki, while Echo triumphed over Nuclear TigeRES for the second time in the qualifier.

With the conclusion of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination playoffs scheduled for the weekend. The opening round will feature a rematch between Ninjas in Pyjamas and HEROIC, following their recent encounter in the Stake Ranked Episode 3 upper bracket final.

The playoffs will determine which two teams will secure their spots at the StarSeries Fall event, joining previously qualified teams such as Vitality, Natus Vincere, FURIA, MOUZ, and the winners from both North American and South American qualifiers, all competing for a share of the $500,000 prize pool.