PGL Major semi-finals conclude, here are the grand finalists

After a semi-final so full of surprises we now finally know who’s going to be at the grand finals of PGL Major Karkow, and they are not who you might’ve expected

Astralis vs. Gambit

Gambit Esports produced the upset of the tournament after defeating defending major champions Astralis earlier today. Many fans pegged Astralis to advance to the PGL Major final following their resounding quarterfinal win over SK Gaming, but Gambit had other ideas. The result was hard-earned, requiring a full three games and capped by a 16-12 victory on Train.

Astralis struggled back from a halftime deficit to nearly tie the decisive game in the second half, digging their heels into a potent defensive effort, something that has long been a trademark for the team’s core. But Gambit continued forward, with repeated aggression towards the A bomb site and refusing to allow Astralis to comfortably settle into their defensive positionings. The series ended with Astralis star Nicolai “device” Reedtz overwhelmed while attempting to anchor himself for a potential AWP play.

Rustem “Mou” Telepov got the series started off right for Gambit with a tremendous performance on Astralis’ opening map selection, Overpass. Astralis’ sole map win came on Inferno in the second game. The Danes were in control throughout with Andreas “Xyp9x” Hojsleth leading the charge. But the defending major champions were unable to find that form often enough in the series to prevent the upset.

“I feel, I don’t know,” AdreN said. “No words.” A stunned Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev could barely speak during his post-game victory interview.

Virtus.Pro vs Immortals

The other upset of the night was when the Brazilians ended polish team Virtus.Pro dreams, as they now advance towards the grand finals.

Immortals chose Inferno as the first map pick, and VP answered with a Mirage pick. Cobblestone was left as the match decider thanks to Immortals’ final Train veto. A Terrorist side Immortals played to the weaknesses of an overly aggressive VP to gain a good lead quickly in the first half. An unorthodox triple-AWP setup helped the Poles win a few rounds, but Immortals maintained their a 11-4 score by the end of the half.

The second half was unforgiving for Virtus Pro, as the Brazilians locked down their sites with great coordination to prevent a plow comeback. Immortals finished off their map pick with a dominant 16-5 score, while Lucas “LUCAS1” Teles soared atop the server at 25 frags and a 111.3 average damage per round.

Immortals kicked off the second map on the Counter-Terrorist side with a 5-0 lead, using map control to their advantage. VP finally found a bit of momentum thanks to a one-on-four clutch from Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski after being down 7-1, but Immortals held the line to reach halftime 11-4.

A pistol round win from Virtus Pro brought them back into the game, as they finally found a rhythm to win six rounds for their Counter-Terrorist eco. The under pressure Brazilians regrouped at 12-11 to slow down the pace to play more methodically, resulting in a four-round streak to close out the map 16-11.

Immortals collectively stunned over 15,000 fans in Krakow, Poland with their 2-0 sweep of Virtus Pro. They also became the first challenger team in history to advance to a major grand final. Their sweep of Virtus Pro earned them a shot for the major title against Gambit. A brand new major champion will be crowned tomorrow, as a surprising and unpredictable weekend of Counter-Strike is reaching its conclusion.