Astralis Misses CS2 Copenhagen Major

Astralis Misses CS2 Copenhagen Major Qualification After Major Loss

Denmark's most famous Counter-Strike organization, Astralis, has suffered a huge blow as they failed to qualify for a spot at the 2024 Copenhagen Major. Astralis, often considered the country's leading team, faced a dramatic fall at the RMR, stumbling in the last-chance qualifier against 9 Pandas.

Despite acquiring the two legends from Heroic, Stavn and Jabbi, in a deal reportedly worth millions of dollars, Astralis struggled to create the synergy needed to become a formidable team in time for the Major. This is especially hard on the team considering they would be playing on home turf and at the inaugural CS2 event if they had managed to qualify. Given that four players from the HLTV top 20 are on their roster, Astralis, packed with firepower, should have easily won the match.

Instead, they found themselves unable to overcome their arch-rivals in the main RMR. Defeats to Team Spirit and ENCE relegated them to the last-chance qualifier, where they would end up losing.

In this decisive match, where they were considered favorites, Astralis faced the Russian squad 9 Pandas in their opening encounter. The tragedy began when they lost their map pick on Overpass, setting the stage for an even more challenging second map, Nuke—an opponent's pick where Astralis had a shaky record.

Astralis failed to put up a fight, and after their opponents received a confidence boost by beating them on their own map, the Danish team would end up succumbing to a 13-8 defeat on Nuke and losing any hopes of participating in the Major.

This marks another significant setback for the Astralis organization, which also missed qualification for the previous two CS:GO Majors, resulting in the loss of thousands of dollars in potential sticker money payouts and prize money from those events.

How much do Counter-Strike pros get from stickers?

Valve has recently disclosed the average earnings from sticker sales in recent years. The developer claimed in 2019 that the StarLadder Major Berlin generated over $11 million for its 24 participating teams and 120 players. Reports suggest that the BLAST.tv Paris Major yielded over $110 million in sticker revenue, which is shared between Valve and the participating teams.

A detailed breakdown of earnings reveals that Contenders teams received approximately $4.5 million, with players obtaining nearly $250,000. Teams in the Legends category earned about $3.5 million, allocating around $200,000 to players. Challengers teams got around $2.6 million, while their players earned approximately $200,000.

Following the elimination, Device, a player for Astralis, expressed his disappointment on Twitter:

"Nothing mattered more than this. I'm crushed trying to find any words to put on what happened. The biggest sorry to our fans and the organization who believed in us. It’s an impossible pill to swallow not being a part of the celebration of Counter-Strike in Copenhagen…💔"

Post-defeat, Heroic, a rival team, posted a lighthearted response:

"Hope everyone is having a fantastic day today, have a great day everyone 🙂👍"

Astralis had pinned their hopes to secure a spot at the Copenhagen Major on the signing of two Danish superstars. However, the disappointing outcome has prompted the team to revisit their strategies and plans for upcoming competitions. It’s time for Astralis to go home to Copenhagen, but this time, they will be watching the Major from the bench.

If you're looking for a player who would take out 9 Pandas in a flash, tag along with one of our Counter-Strike 2 Boosters today!

 

GG Boost, the Best Elo Boosting Experience!