• Dates: September 3 - September 22, 2024
• Event: ESL Pro League Season 20
• Format: Group Stage - Double elimination (BO3); Last Chance Stage - Single elimination (BO3)
• Opponents: MOUZ, Rooster, Imperial, BIG, Complexity, M80, fnatic
• First match: vs. fnatic
• Scheduled: Upper bracket, opening round on September 10, 13:30 CEST

Our Main team is eager to bounce back after a tough run at IEM Cologne 2024 as they head to Malta for ESL Pro League Season 20.

On Tuesday, September 10, at 13:30 CEST, our lineup, led by Nicolai 'dev1ce' Reedtz, will clash with fnatic's European roster in the upper bracket opener of Group C.

This matchup is more than just another game—it's a dramatic reunion with our former in-game leader, Benjamin "blameF" Bremer, now representing Fnatic after his benching at Astralis in the spring.

Will he come back to haunt his old squad, or will our team prove they've moved on and leveled up without him?

Facing Their Former IGL in the Opening Round

We asked Jakob 'jabbi' Nygaard and Martin 'stavn' Lund for their thoughts before the showdown with their former IGL. Does this give them extra motivation to push harder, or is it just business as usual?

Reunion with blameF: How will it be to face your former IGL?

"It'll be just fine; we're a much better team now, so I think we'll take the win," jabbi says.

Will you push harder to prove your worth with the new lineup?

"It's always fun to play against former teammates, so yeah, sometimes you might give that extra percent to make a statement," the 21-year-old lurker notes.

jabbi's longtime teammate and friend, stavn, takes a more measured approach:

"It's always fun to face a former teammate, but it's not something I think about when playing. In the game, it's all about staying fully focused on the task," stavn explains.

blameF's Stats from the Last 3 Months

• Rating 2.0: 1.31
• Kills per round: 0.80
• Deaths per round: 0.58
• KAST: 77.3%
• Impact: 1.36
• Average damage per round: 86.7

stavn's Stats from the Last 3 Months

• Rating 2.0: 1.04
• Kills per round: 0.66
• Deaths per round: 0.72
• KAST: 70.6%
• Impact: 1.04
• Average damage per round: 79.1

jabbi's Stats from the Last 3 Months

• Rating 2.0: 1.02
• Kills per round: 0.67
• Deaths per round: 0.72
• KAST: 70.0%
• Impact: 1.10
• Average damage per round: 72.0

The last time we hit Malta, the team fought their way to the semi-finals, only to be knocked out by Vitality in an intense fight.

This time, they must navigate tough competition from MOUZ, Rooster, Imperial, BIG, Complexity, and M80 to secure a playoff spot.

Playoff Advancement Breakdown

Group winners secure a direct spot in the playoff quarterfinals. Runners-up advance to the second round, while 3rd place finishers and

Last Chance Stage winners (4th place) enter the first round of playoffs.

Catch all the action live at Astralis.gg/watch and interact with other fans in the Astralis community.

Check out the full match schedule at Astralis.gg/schedule.