An intriguing matchup between paiN and Astralis is set to take place during the group stage of IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in. Both teams come into the match with varying levels of stability, but each is ready to fight for a spot in the main stage of the tournament. In this article, we will analyze their current form, map pool, and provide a prediction for the outcome of the match.
Current Team Form
paiN's average rating at S-tier tournaments over the past month is 5.9. The team started the season confidently, achieving great results at the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they defeated GamerLegion and FaZe. However, in the decisive match against NAVI at the LAN finals, the team couldn't maintain their lead on the third map in overtime. At the current tournament, paiN also showed strength by defeating Virtus.Pro, but lost to GamerLegion.
Astralis' average rating over the last month is slightly lower at 5.8. The Danes started the season with inconsistent performances at the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they defeated Wildcard but lost to NAVI. In the IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in, they first lost to MIBR but then managed to overcome FlyQuest in a hard-fought battle with a score of 2-1.
Map Pool
paiN is very likely to ban Ancient, which they have banned 63 times. They are most likely to pick Nuke, where they have an impressive 70% win rate over 30 games, or Anubis (63% win rate over 24 games), which are their strongest maps. Mirage might remain as the decider, as it suits both teams well.
Astralis is expected to ban Anubis, which they have removed 21 times. Their priority pick is Inferno, where they have a 60% win rate over 15 games, or Mirage (42% win rate over 12 games). Nuke might become the decider since both teams show decent results on this map.
- Nuke - paiN's pick
- Inferno - Astralis' pick
- Mirage - decider
Match Prediction
The teams appear approximately equal in current form, but paiN has a slight advantage in terms of map pool flexibility. Their confidence on Nuke and Anubis makes them favorites on the selected maps, while Astralis can perform confidently on Inferno but may struggle to compete on other maps.
paiN 2-1 Astralis
IEM Katowice 2025 takes place from January 29 to February 9 in Katowice, Poland. Twenty-four teams will compete for a prize pool of $1 million. You can follow the event's schedule and results via this link.
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