Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: European RMR B is approaching its decisive moments, and the match between Astralis and Passion UA will be a battle for survival. Experience against ambitions — that's how this duel can be described. Astralis, with a rich history of victories, faces the young team of Passion UA, who are making their debut at this level. Who among them will be able to seize their chance?

Current Form of the Teams

Astralis

The team Astralis shows stable but not outstanding results. Their average rating at S-tier tournaments over the last month is 6.2. At the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, they brilliantly passed the group stage, defeating NAVI and MOUZ, but lost to Spirit in the semifinals. In the last five matches, Astralis won against B8 and Eternal Fire, losing to Sashi, 9 Pandas, and Spirit. Device, one of the key players, was unable to participate in the tournament. He was replaced by br0, and the team played with a modified lineup. Under such conditions, their results in the RMR appear quite expected, and now Astralis will have to fight for the last chance to get into the Perfect World Shanghai Major.

Passion UA

Passion UA is a young and ambitious team, performing at the S-tier tournaments for the first time. Last month they participated in HellCup 11 (B-tier), but only ranked 9-16, losing to the team 500 in the first playoff match. However, in the current RMR, Passion UA surprised everyone: in the first day, they defeated Virtus.Pro and Spirit, starting with a confident 2-0. Later, however, their weak preparation for BO3 format matches showed itself — losses to BIG and Heroic. Another of their losses was to BC.Game in ESEA: Advanced.

Team Map Pool

Astralis

Astralis consistently bans Anubis — a map the team never plays. For their picks, they focus on their strengths, including Nuke (46% winrate), Inferno (64%), and Ancient (36%). The most successful for them remains Inferno, with the highest winrate.

Passion UA

Passion UA prefers to ban Nuke, which doesn't fit their map pool. For their picks, they rely on opponent weaknesses, choosing Anubis (65% winrate), Mirage (50%), or Ancient (65%). The strongest map for Passion UA is Vertigo with a winrate of 79%.

Match Prediction

The match promises to be tense: Astralis has vast experience on the international stage, but their current form does not inspire full confidence. Passion UA, despite a lack of experience in S-tier tournaments, have shown they are capable of defeating favorites like Virtus.Pro and Spirit.

The deciding factor will be the map pool. If Astralis can execute their game on Inferno and approach the decider wisely, they have every chance to win. However, Passion UA with their strong Vertigo and unconventional preparation on Ancient can pose a serious threat.

Prediction: Astralis will win with a score of 2-1.

The match between Astralis and Passion UA promises to be a true test for both teams. Astralis will need to prove that their experience and play on decisive maps outweigh the ambitions of newcomers. Passion UA will have to surprise once again with their preparation to continue their incredible story at the RMR. Everything will be decided on the server, and the audience awaits a bright and tense contest.