CS2’s BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals kick off in Malta on 14 August, and of the eight contenders, we think Astralis have as good a chance as any.
With the tournament’s finals featuring a single-elimination bracket, the remaining teams are technically just two best-of-three and one best-of-five away from lifting the trophy.
The four lower-seeded teams (Astralis, Aurora, Liquid, and VP) pick which of the higher-seeded teams (Vitality, Spirit, The MongolZ, and MOUZ) they want to go up against in the Quarterfinals.
A four-time Major Championship winner’s smile. Image: Astralis
Both The MongolZ and MOUZ look vulnerable, so Astralis may find a path to the Grand Final where anything can happen. Here’s why we think the Danish-based organization can recapture the glory days.
Astralis Stun NAVI, Show Big-match temperament
In the Round of 32, Astralis demolished Rare Atom with a clean 2-0 win (13-1 on Ancient and 13-6 on Mirage).
The squad proceeded to the Round of 16, where they crushed the hopes of NAVI in a spectacular reverse-sweep.
Astralis lost their map pick of Dust2 (11-13) before making a nail-biting comeback, winning Inferno 13-7 and Nuke 13-2. With the 2-1 win over NAVI, Astralis secured a spot in the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals.
See you in Malta 🤝
— Nicolai Reedtz (@dev1ce) August 9, 2025
So why does the score against NAVI instill so much confidence? First off, the addition of IGL Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen on July 18 has proven to be a brilliant roster move. The beautiful calls on the T Side of Nuke, where Astralis found a mind-blowing 10 rounds in the first half, proved HooXi is acclimatising perfectly.
What makes the win more impressive, however, is the reverse-sweep. Astralis’ comeback shows their ability to show up in high-pressure moments, when on the brink of early elimination against a top-tier team.
THE 2VS5 FOR @ASTRALISCS
Let’s hope B1ade wasn’t watching this round 😬 #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/ncanXX9JHk
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) August 9, 2025
As an organization, Astralis is no stranger to success, with numerous trophies between 2017 and 2019, including four Major Championships, and 406 days as the #1 on the World Rankings.
Modern-day Astralis has seen way less success, with notable finishes this year limited to 3rd at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, 2nd at PGL Astana 2025, and 2nd at FISSURE Playground #1. However, one player from the iconic Astralis might have found his form at just the right time.
A Smoking Gun: dev1ce is Truly Back
An on-form Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz should strike fear into the hearts of any opponents and send shivers down the spines of CS esports fans. He is a four-time Major Championship winner and a two-time Major Championship MVP.
Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz is in his element. Image: BLAST.tv
dev1ce is widely considered one of the top 10 players of all-time, and some put the Danish AWPer in the top five best players to ever grace the CS servers where he boasts a total of 19 MVP awards.
So Why Should You Care About This Little History Lesson?
The answer is simple: it appears that dev1ce has found his form, sparking hope that he is well and truly back.
Against NAVI, dev1ce pulled off an incredible 1.47 rating across the three maps combined, boasting a scoreboard-topping K/D of 55/22, and an Average Damage per Round (ADR) of 92.3.
His impact on the match, driving the reverse-sweep comeback with 12 opening kills and 14 multikill rounds, was spectacular to watch.
If the performance is an indication of what we can expect from dev1ce during the Playoff Stage, then Astralis has a real shot.
While the notion of Astralis dominating the modern CS2 scene might be absurd (for now), making it to the Grand Final or lifting the trophy is not impossible. After all, Astralis is ranked 6th in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) (Aug. 12 update), and dev1ce is brimming with confidence.