Led by four-time Major winner Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, ENCE’s core displayed remarkable coordination and strategy, leaving Astralis reeling and facing the prospect of missing out on their third consecutive Counter-Strike Major.

ENCE secures their spot at PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 with impressive wins over Astralis on Vertigo (13-6) and Ancient (13-9)!

Astralis isn't out yet – they have one more shot in the LCQ starting tomorrow! #PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/BJCDjyMeYo

— PGL (@pglesports) February 22, 2024

The match began with ENCE dominating on Vertigo, a map that has proven challenging for Astralis in recent encounters.

ENCE executed a clear game plan, exploiting weaknesses in Astralis’ defense and securing a convincing lead early on.

Despite Astralis’ efforts to rally, including some individual brilliance, they were unable to stem ENCE’s momentum, ultimately succumbing to a decisive defeat.

On Ancient, Astralis aimed for redemption, but ENCE continued their dominance, capitalizing on their strong start and maintaining control throughout the match.

Despite some glimpses of hope for Astralis, including a lead at one point, ENCE’s resilience and strategic plays proved too much to overcome.

With a well-executed B rush towards the end, ENCE secured their victory and their place at the Major in Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, ECSTATIC, led by Patrick “Patti” Larsen, fought their way to a 2-1 (3-13, 13-9, 13-5) victory against Guild Eagles in a hard-fought battle.

ECSTATIC is headed to the Major after an intensely contested series against Guild Eagles!

The Eagles aren't out of the fight yet – they're heading to the Last Chance Qualifier! #PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/4GFJpRIANL

— PGL (@pglesports) February 22, 2024

Despite a setback on Ancient, ECSTATIC rallied on Inferno and Overpass, demonstrating resilience and composure under pressure.

With key plays from players like Magnus “Nodios” Olsen, ECSTATIC secured their berth at the Major, while Guild Eagles faced relegation to the last-chance qualifier.

Heroic also emerged victorious, overcoming GamerLegion in a decisive 2-0 (13-5, 13-9) victory.

HEROIC is on its way to the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024!

GamerLegion bows out after a two-map defeat (Overpass & Mirage) and heads to the Last Chance Qualifier. #PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/WjlJZE0Ofy

— PGL (@pglesports) February 22, 2024

Despite initial doubts surrounding their lineup, Heroic showcased their potential with impressive wins over top teams.

Led by René “TeSeS” Madsen and Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, Heroic’s determination and skill earned them a coveted spot at the Major, while GamerLegion faced the prospect of competing in the last-chance qualifier.

Astralis, GamerLegion and Guild Eagles will join BetBoom Team, 9 Pandas and Fnatic in the Europe last-chance qualifier, where the six squads will battle for one Major spot.

Last-Chance Qualifier round one matches

• 9 Pandas ($3.00) vs Astralis ($1.36) @ 1pm EET
• BetBoom Team ($1.72) vs Guild Eagles ($2.00) @ 4pm EET
• Fnatic ($2.00) vs GamerLegion ($1.72) @ 7pm EET

More esports news

MOUZ have picked up from where they left off in 2023, continuing the strong form got them third-fourth place at the BLAST Premier World Final.

After being knocked out in the same position at IEM Katowice, MOUZ have maintained their top-four position in the world rankings. With the likes of ádám “torzsi” Torzsás and Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo at the top of their games, MOUZ are expected to qualify for the PGL Major Copenhagen, starting with a dominant opening round win.

As for MOUZ’s opponent, Guild Eagles, they have been competing in qualifiers and are yet to participate in any S-Tier events since the organisation was founded in November 2023.

There are 30 ranking spots between Guild Eagles and MOUZ, and the betting odds are a good representation of how close this match is expected to be.

Team Vitality shocked everyone when they were knocked out of IEM Katowice 2024 in last place after suffering defeats to ENCE and Heroic in the opening rounds. The former world number one played inconsistently throughout the event and paid the price against two teams that are in a transition phase.

Vitality will be seeking another top-tier title after they were victorious at the BLAST.tv Paris Major last year, and failure to qualify for the Major will raise massive questions about this roster.

GamerLegion are not playing well right now either; however, they progressed further at IEM Katowice than their opponents, bowing out in 9th–12th place after losing to Heroic.

GL could upset a rocky Team Vitality, and esports betting sites aren’t giving the world number 17 much respect here.

IEM Katowice was the first event that Monte played in 2024, and the rust showed as they lost to GamerLegion before claiming victory against Cloud9. The world number 10 was eventually knocked out by G2 Esports in the following round after a three-map series.

Monte will have learned a lot from their three series, and they should be ready to go in the opening rounds of the PGL Major Copenhagen RMR.

The difference in quality between ECSTATIC and Monte is evident when looking at their previous events. ECSTATIC were last seen finishing second in the European Pro League Season 13 (C-Tier) grand final, where they lost to Preasy 3-2.

In what could be a pivotal series for Monte’s RMR campaign, they should be winning this match comfortably over a lesser opponent.

Since the return of Team Spirit’s full roster, they have won seven series in a row, culminating in the IEM Katowice 2024 title. Led by the historic performance of Danil “donk” Kryshkovets on his Big Event debut, Team Spirit were unstoppable?in Katowice as they defeated some of the best teams in the world.

However, ENCE will be?no easy beats in the opening round of the Europe RMR B. Under the new leadership of Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, ENCE claimed victories against Team Vitality and G2 Esports on their way to fifth-sixth place at IEM Katowice.

It is hard to tip against Spirit after their dominant IEM Katowice triumph, so playing the round-line market is a much better option.

More esports betting tips