In the veto, Astralis removed Anubis, paiN banned Ancient, Astralis picked Inferno, paiN chose Dust2, Astralis removed Mirage, and then finally, paiN banned Train.
On Inferno, paiN struck first by winning the pistol round, but their momentum was short-lived as Astralis quickly found their footing. The Danes continued to dominate the first half, heading into the break with a 9-3 lead. paiN managed to secure four rounds in the second half, but Astralis remained in control, closing out the map 13-7.
Dust2 began with Astralis surging to a 3-0 lead before paiN finally put up resistance. The first half remained tightly contested, ending in a dead-even tie. However, Astralis shifted into high gear after the break, suffocating paiN’s defence and conceding just three rounds before sealing a 13-9 victory to take the series.
Since returning from inactivity at the start of 2025, Nicolai “device” Reedtz has delivered an impressive performance, maintaining a 1.17 average rating across 11 maps. He played a key role in Astralis’ victories over FlyQuest and paiN, emerging as the team’s highest-rated player in the tournament so far.
The Danish squad are now set to face Team Spirit in the IEM Katowice Group Stage Opening Round on February 2.
What did the teams say?
Casper "cadiaN" Møller expressed his satisfaction with the result in a post-match interview, saying, “Today was much more similar to the way we play in practice. It’s all the small things about not exaggerating your moves and waiting for a flash or a teammate”.
“A year ago, I wouldn’t celebrate qualifying for Katowice, but that’s where we’re at the moment,” he continued.
He also addressed device’s return to form, saying, “We had a few rough tournaments at the start, but you can see that he is such a gifted player in terms of knowledge, in terms of microing movements, and he has top-tier mechanics too. It’s also good for the people that say I can’t activate him.”
Meanwhile, Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt expressed his frustration with the team’s performance. “We’ve been saying that this hasn’t been our tournament for the whole week,” he stated.
“I showed a lot of low level and low mentality, I don’t know why, maybe I just need to refresh. We’re not disappointed in the result, but in the level of the game we showed,” he admitted.
CS2 knives are some of the most appreciated items in the game. Although guns are usually the idea you have in your head when you think about CS2, knives are also great because they provide melee benefits for the players. However, some of the best knives in the game have a discouraging price tag, while the cheaper ones are something players avoid as they consider them lower quality. But if you know where to look and you’re in desperate need of this item, finding the cheapest CS2 knife will let you enjoy the fun without breaking the bank. This post will reveal the most affordable CS2 knives you can buy this year.
One of the most popular loyalty features on the platform is the KeyDrop Daily Case, which gives users the opportunity to obtain skins, gold, or account balance every day without making a direct purchase. But the system is controlled by particular XP levels, cooldown timers, and verification procedures; it's not just a "click and win" button.
This guide covers how the Daily Case system operates, why your case could be locked, and how to get the most out of your prizes as you advance through the KeyDrop levels.
![KeyDrop Daily Case Guide - How to Unlock Your Free Case ([year])](/imgs/news_8549/20260128/cache/1769592213_704b6fffed8bedabca2e___308_174.jpg "KeyDrop Daily Case Guide - How to Unlock Your Free Case ([year])")