Captain Astralis, Casper "cadiaN" Møller, expressed optimism regarding the remaining tournaments this season after his team reached the semifinals of the BLAST Premier World Final. The Danes surprised many by overcoming a challenging group, securing victories over Natus Vincere and MOUZ before falling to Spirit in a tense series with a 2-1 result.
Astralis managed to win Vertigo, where Spirit is traditionally not strong, but the team looked less confident on Dust2 and Ancient. cadiaN acknowledged noticeable improvements compared to previous performances at Fall Final and IEM Rio, but emphasized the importance of stability: “We had a clear understanding of how we wanted to play, and most of the time we executed as planned, but small mistakes cost us a lot,” he noted for HLTV after the match.
Roster Changes and the Path to Synergy
Less than two months have passed since cadiaN joined Astralis as captain and IGL, taking over from Nicolai "device" Reedtz. Initially, the team performed unconvincingly, but progress has become evident. device and Victor "Staehr" Staehr are gradually getting accustomed to the new system, and Astralis' game structure has noticeably improved.
In the semifinal against Spirit, the team showed confident play on the first map but failed to maintain the momentum on the next two. cadiaN pointed out that crucial moments, such as losing a force round after winning the pistol round on the third map, proved decisive. “We couldn't get going, while they played excellent CS and made the right decisions,” commented the captain.
Tournament Results and Ambitions for RMR
Now Astralis is focused on preparing for the Europe RMR B, where they will face 9 Pandas. cadiaN acknowledged that the team will need time to reach their peak form, but the performance in Singapore boosted their confidence. “We can see how much our team play has improved in terms of structure and strategies,” he shared. On Vertigo, Astralis' strengths were particularly evident: “Now, our goal is to bring this level to other maps,” he added.
He also emphasized the significance of results against the top 5 teams in the world rankings. Over the week, the Danes won five maps and lost only two, which the captain considers a worthy result.
cadiaN's Optimism and Work for the Future
cadiaN understands that fans want to see the team's maximum efficiency but reminds that fully integrating tactics takes time. “If someone expects the best version of Astralis within two and a half months after changes, then they don't understand how important attention to detail is,” he noted, adding that the team's ambitions remain high.
According to him, even at their current level of play, Astralis can surprise in upcoming tournaments. Now, all the team's attention is focused on the qualifiers and upcoming crucial matches that will determine their success at the end of the year.
Source: HLTV
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