Astralis secured their place in Stage 2 of ESL Pro League Season 22 by defeating Legacy 2:1 in the decisive Swiss-system match. Legacy, on the other hand, exit the tournament, finishing their run in 9–11th place.
ESL PRO LEAGUE SEASON 22
ESL Pro League is one of the main LAN tournaments of the fall, gathering the strongest lineups in the world. In Stage 1, teams compete in a BO3 format, where each match can become the last for squads with two losses. Advancing to Stage 2 opens the way to the playoffs and the opportunity to fight for a prestigious title and ranking points.
ROAD TO THE MATCH
Astralis entered this clash with unstable form: losses to ENCE and GamerLegion forced the team to play their last chance. However, a victory over Heroic showed that the Danish roster could step up in a decisive moment.
Legacy, for their part, showed inconsistency: victories over FURIA and NRG looked confident, but defeats to Gentle Mates and B8 put the team in a difficult situation. The match against Astralis became their final chance to remain in the tournament.
MATCH TIMELINE
- Inferno (Legacy pick) — 13:7 for Legacy
Legacy looked confident on their map pick. latto and dumau left no chance for their opponents, quickly closing the map. - Overpass (Astralis pick) — 13:11 for Astralis
Astralis demonstrated character, holding on in a tough match thanks to the stability of device and Magisk. - Ancient (decider) — 13:3 for Astralis
The deciding map was complete domination from the Danes. Device took the lead, finishing the series with a 1.21 rating, while Legacy failed to find any counterplay.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Nicolai “device” Reedtz became the hero of the match, winning 88% of fan votes. His consistency across all three maps and key clutches allowed Astralis to turn the series around.
- K-D: 43–34 (+9)
- ADR: 80.7
- Rating 3.0: 1.21
TEAM PERFORMANCES
- Astralis: device was the leader, with Magisk and Staehr supporting him with stable results. HooXi and jabbi had weaker numbers, but team coordination covered those gaps.
- Legacy: only saadz1n and dumau looked competitive. latto played inconsistently, while lux and n1ssim failed in decisive moments, costing the team their chance at Stage 2.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Astralis once again confirmed their favorite status in matchups against Legacy. Over the past six months, the Danes have won 4 out of 5 series against the Brazilians, and this match only reinforced that trend.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Astralis advance to Stage 2, where even stronger opponents await. For the Danish roster, this is a chance to keep their spot in the top 10 and prove they are capable of fighting for a trophy.
Legacy stop at 9–11th place, leaving ESL Pro League with a sense of unfulfilled potential. Their performance showed growth opportunities but also weaknesses that need to be addressed before the next big tournaments.
