The first match in the elimination round of Group D of ESL Pro League Season 17 has ended, with Astralis defeating ATK and remaining in the event. However, this did not please Danish fans.

The match ended 2-1, and Astralis not only lost a map to a team that struggled through the North American RMR closed qualifiers but also ended the last map in overtime. What happened to Astralis?

Match against ATK

The match against ATK started calmly and anticipated an easy victory for Astralis. The first map ended 16-8 in favor of the Danes. Everything was supposed to end quickly, but Astralis started having problems on the next map. The team lost round after round, and while the first half was competitive, the second half ended in a rout, and ATK won the second map 16-8.

The third map began with total domination by ATK, and the first half ended 11-4. But Astralis managed to make a comeback, took the game to overtime, and ended up winning the match. However, this was definitely not the kind of game expected from the team that has won the major four times, and the main illustration of Astralis' coordination in this match was this 4v1 situation:

Why do Astralis play so bad?

READ MORE: Team Spirit defeated Astralis at ESL Pro League Season 17

Buzz can’t handle the game

Astralis had hopes for Christian Buzz Andersen. The team did not take players from the academy, actively searching for a newcomer who was to replace Christian k0nfig Wienecke, who had moved to other clubs. And after three months of uncertainty, the team signed Buzz.

He was supposed to be the rifler who could support Benjamin blameF Bremer and Nicolai dev1ce Reedtz, but he is not coping. At ESL Pro League, the player's average rating was 5.8, and he became the second worst player on the team. And this situation is not unique to this event - Buzz is not ready for tier-1. And the biggest problem is that all the new Astralis players have faced this.

First, it was Philip Lucky Ewald, then Asger Farlig Jensen. The only time a newcomer didn't fail was when they had Lucas Bubzkji Andersen, whom the team kicked after Lucas gla1ve Rossander returned. But Buzz is not the only problem for the team.

Xyp9x and gla1ve are in terrible form

Currently, there are three players on the Danish team whose form is questionable. Andreas Xyp9x Højsleth and Lucas gla1ve Rossander rarely finish matches with a rating above 6, and this does not happen at all against tier-1 teams.

Currently, the team only wins thanks to two players - dev1ce and blameF, who consistently show excellent performance, and these players are the reason why Astralis became champions of CCT North Europe Season 4. Yes, the other three players also have a rating above 6, but let's not forget that this was a tier-2, tier-3 tournament where all performers were supposed to feel confident.

With three out of five players performing poorly, the team's level will be in a terrible state. Leaders are not confident in their teammates, which makes them take risks and lose rounds. The entire team suffers as a result.

Will they miss another Major?

So far, Astralis is not impressing us with their gameplay, and there are about three weeks left until the RMR, with Heroic, G2, Vitality, Spirit, and Cloud9 as their opponents, the competition will be incredible. If nothing changes, the Danes will miss another Major, which will be a failure that will lead to replacements, and the team will have to search for a new game, which will further complicate the situation.

We hope for a bright future for Astralis, but currently, their gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. We hope for an improvement in the situation before the RMR.