Astralis defeat 100 Thieves to win IEM Beijing 2019

The just-concluded 2019 Intel Extreme Masters Beijing Grand Finals between Astralis and 100 Thieves ended with the Danish team taking the crown. Astralis defeated their opponents 3-0 in an exciting matchup that took place in the Beijing University Students Gymnasium.

Astralis picked Nuke and Dust II during the map veto process, while 100 Thieves picked Vertigo and Train. Overpass and Mirage were banned, leaving Inferno as the fifth and final map. 

On Vertigo, the first map, the teams experienced a lot of back and forth. Astralis just barely managed to take the first half at 8-7, and though 100 Thieves took the second pistol round and a few of the following rounds, they couldn’t beat Astralis back after the Danes secured their first buy round. The map ended 16-14, but that would be the closest score margin in the entire series.

On map two, Nuke, Astralis dominated the first half, which ended 11-4. Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander did exceptionally well with 22 kills and only 13 deaths, which helped Astralis push their advantage and win the map, 16-5. Map three was Train, 100 Thieves second map pick with all their hopes dependant on a reversal. Unfortunately for the North American team, Astralis had no intention of letting them make a comeback. The first half ended 12-3 in favor of the Danes, which forced 100 Thieves to buckle up. The NA team played a much better half compared to the first but eventually lost to Astralis 0-4.

Astralis had a very impressive run at IEM Beijing, winning all four of their series’ without dropping a single map and winning 144 out of 196 rounds. Their 3-0 victory in the Grand Final secured them with a direct seed to IEM Katowice 2020 and $125,000. FaZe Clan and Team Vitality filled the 3rd-4th place spot.