Complexity eliminate Astralis after nail-biter series

After 90 rounds played across three maps, the team with a stand-in took the victory on home soil.

Complexity stay alive at BLAST Premier Spring Final after a victory over Astralis which was as close as it could get. A 16-14 win on Vertigo, a 16-14 loss on Ancient, and a 16-14 win on Overpass added up to a 2-1 for the underdogs that are playing with Aran "⁠Sonic⁠" Groesbeek as a stand-in for Håkon "⁠hallzerk⁠" Fjærli, not a result many would've expected.

On the flipside, Astralis will be lamenting the missed opportunity, as Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer's strong performance wasn't enough for them to avoid a last-place finish at the final event of the season.

On Vertigo, Complexity's strong early game proved pivotal to their success. The American team went 8-3 up and kept their heads above water throughout the map, with Astralis' 2-0 starts on both halves proving inconsequential.

Alexander "⁠Altekz⁠" Givskov struggled on map one, finishing it with 9K-24D, and his troubles continued on the T side of Ancient that followed. The player promoted from the academy team mustered just three killson the offense, but blameF and Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz kept the Danes in the map. After the switch, device's multikill round turned the tides of the game and gave enough time for the rest of the team to wake up and force the decider.

From the start of Overpass, Complexity were in control and looked like the better team. After a 3-0 start on the offense, they converted two disadvantage rounds and ran away with the half, 9-3. Just like the previous two maps, the conclusion wasn't going to be that straightforward.

An eco round upset gave the Danes an unexpected way back into the game and saw the half finish 9-6, with the comeback truly starting thanks to Astralis' ability to win man-down rounds on the offense.

The unexpected hero for Complexity was Sonic, the team's stand-in who retired from professional Counter-Strike a year ago, as the South African out-dueled the two-time Major MVP device again and again, ending with an 11-2 head-to-head score. His aggressive play at 14-14 was the Heimlich maneuver that prevented Complexity from choking the series as they took the victory in the closest of margins.