FaZe Clan have advanced in the lower bracket of BLAST Open Lisbon by sweeping Astralis in two decisive maps, Train and Nuke, with scores of 13-7 and 13-6 respectively. This victory not only sends the Danish squad packing without a single map win but also places their qualification for the Austin Major in serious jeopardy.
The match marked a strong rebound for FaZe, who entered the elimination bout with urgency. Their next challenge is set for Sunday, where they will meet the losing team from the upcoming Spirit vs. MOUZ matchup.
To begin the series, FaZe avoided Astralis’ comfort pick of Inferno and left Train open during vetoes. Astralis took the bait, and FaZe had no trouble navigating their debut on the newly reintroduced map. Helvijs “broky” Saukants led the charge with a powerful showing, recording 18 kills during a nearly flawless 11-1 CT side. Although Astralis managed to snag the pistol round after the switch, the momentum was already lost, and FaZe closed the opener with ease.
Things didn’t improve for the Danes on Nuke, FaZe’s map pick. Even after losing an early force-buy in the second round, FaZe regrouped and powered through to an 8-4 lead at halftime, capitalizing on Astralis’ brief window of resistance. The second half played out with a similar narrative—FaZe snatched an eco round to stretch their lead to 9-6 and then kept rolling to five consecutive round wins to shut the map down and complete the sweep.
The result is a disaster for Astralis, who were on the brink of securing a direct invite to Stage 2 of the Austin Major going into the event. Their early elimination all but ensures a slip in the Regional Standings, potentially falling behind 3DMAX and making way for Virtus.pro to leapfrog them with a good finish at BLAST.
Astralis have no more Valve-sanctioned matches scheduled before the April 7 cutoff date, which means their fate now lies in the hands of rival teams. Internal discussions prior to the tournament had acknowledged that even one match win might have been enough to secure their spot, but that opportunity has now passed, amplifying the pressure around their Major campaign.
Attention has also turned to the ongoing role transition of Casper “cadiaN” Møller, who has taken on rifling duties in recent months. His form in Lisbon has added fuel to the growing skepticism surrounding that change. His overall rating at the event was a dismal 0.46—his lowest ever—and across four maps, he never once cracked double digits in kills. His top performance came on Inferno against Vitality, where he managed just a 0.61 rating.
In contrast, broky’s resurgence was key to FaZe’s success, posting an impressive 1.62 rating across the series. Meanwhile, Astralis’ entire lineup struggled to keep pace, with every player recording negative kill-death differentials and sub-1.00 ratings. As FaZe look ahead to more competition, Astralis are left with their Major dreams hanging by a thread and serious questions surrounding their roster and direction.
