Astralis have crashed out of the European closed qualifier for StarSeries Fall after suffering a 0-2 defeat against HEROIC in the Group B deciding fixture.
This marks the first disappointment for the Danish-majority lineup since Filip "NEO" Kubski assumed leadership responsibilities. However, the team remains in contention at BLAST Bounty after securing a comeback win against Nemesis in the Round of 32.
The qualifier saw standout individual performances, with Henrich "sl3nd" Hevesi achieving an impressive 1.54 rating as INFINITE overcame Nemesis in what proved to be the day's sole best-of-three encounter. Meanwhile, Gentle Mates dominated Walczaki, and Echo secured their second victory over Nuclear TigeRES during the qualifier.
The playoff bracket will feature the top two squads from each group competing in a single-elimination format throughout the weekend. The opening matches include a highly anticipated showdown between Ninjas in Pyjamas and HEROIC, recreating last week's Stake Ranked Episode 3 upper bracket final.
Two teams will secure their places at the upcoming StarSeries Fall event, where they'll compete alongside Vitality, Natus Vincere, FURIA, MOUZ, and the victors from the North American and South American qualifying tournaments at September's $500,000 LAN competition.
