It's playoffs time in Astana!

In less than 24 hours, the playoffs of PGL Astana begin featuring The MongolZ, Aurora, Natus Vincere, Astralis, FURIA, MIBR, Spirit and Ninjas in Pyjamas. Eight teams remain in contention, in the hopes of lifting the trophy. After a competitive group stage played with the Swiss System, a couple of famous names did not make the cut, such as Virtus.Pro, G2 (in the unfortunate absence of huNter) and GamerLegion. In this article, we'll preview each of the quarterfinals and give you our predictions!

The MongolZ vs Aurora

Asian Counter-Strike continues to shine through The MongolZ. Their improvement over the last year is undeniable and another playoffs berth comes as a logic confirmation. They took down FURIA, MIBR and Natus Vincere on their way to a clean 3-0 sheet in the group stage. Their latest victory vs NaVi is testament to the growth of this group. The young squad was capable of keeping cool heads in order to close both maps 13:11, the closest scoreline possible. Senzu's form (1.24 rating in Astana) is a tremendous sign as he has clearly been their key difference maker. We're hoping to see a little more out of 910, the sniper, who's set on a full collision course with woxic from Aurora. Another key aspect to consider is the expected support from the audience in Astana. The MongolZ will be the champions of the crowd in this match up.

Aurora's only misstep came at the hands of Natus Vincere in the group stage. In a hard fought battle, Maj3R was not capable of manoeuvring his troops to victory at the end of regulation. Besides that loss, Aurora defeated HOTU, ODDIK and Ninjas in Pyjamas. At face value, it feels like their path to playoffs has been slightly easier in terms of opposition. Thankfully, they have been able to rely on A-grade XANTARES (1.21 rating at the event). Similar to the MongolZ, expectations on the sniper, woxic, have not been completely met in the group stage and the fans will rightfully want to see more out of him.

Our betting tip; The MongolZ win 2-0

Natus Vincere vs Astralis

The scrutiny towards Natus Vincere has been intense yet fair. Ahead of the Austin Major, all eyes are set on "The Best Team of 2024", trying to gauge how deep their wound has become thoughout the year. Signs of life (and intensity) have been shown in their final group stage victory versus Aurora. That's what the community wants to see. We need to feel that Natus Vincere want to win, as much as they once did. Of particular interest has been Aleksib's individual performance (1.20 rating in Astana), leading his team both literally and statistically. We hardly see how this trend can maintain itself in the playoffs but it will play a massive role in Aleksib's confidence when the pressure mounts. If he's capable of somewhat maintaining this form, the Finnish leader will no doubt have a clearer mind once hard choices have to be made.

Speaking of leadership, HooXi's debut in Astralis was highly anticipated. Those of you who followed him in G2 have surely felt the same tactical touch that he brought to the squad. The ability to quicken up the pace with fine executes, keeping his opponents on their toes, is something HooXi has carried over to his new team. Individually, Astralis' fans undoutbly rejoice in stavn and device's performances (1.22 and 1.17 rating respectively). The Danish star stavn had been the target of tough but fair criticism for his lack of impact recently. One can only hope the arrival of their new in-game leader rekindled the fire for the rifler.

Our betting tip; Natus Vincere win 2-1

FURIA vs MIBR

If you're coming back to Counter-Strike after a few months of absence, you might need to take a closer look at this iteration of FURIA. We would not hold it against you if you got confused. Yes, YEKINDAR and molodoy are now part of this brand new international roster alongside FalleN, yuurih and KSCERATO. These changes have had profound implications for the playstyle of FURIA. To begin with, FalleN isn't the main sniper anymore as this duty has been placed upon molodoy. Moreover, the godfather of Brazilian CS has had to take on anchoring roles on the CT side. One has to admit, he has been doing a very respectable job at that (1.08 rating in Astana.) Additionally, YEKINDAR seems to have found a decent comfort zone, individually, after very troublesome times in Liquid. KSCERATO's consistency remains and yuurih is, once again, showing signs of life.

For MIBR, it seems as tough the battle will be mental more than anything else. On paper, this team has the firepower necessary to keep up with FURIA. Clearly insani has been regarded as "the next big thing" in Brazil for quite a while now, possibly creating a debate about who's the best player from that region. When it comes to the AWP, saffee had a masterful performances in their qualifying series vs Virtus.Pro (1.24 rating) and he will have to display similar impact if his team hopes for a different outcome. For context, during the group stage, MIBR suffered a 1-2 loss at the hands of FURIA.

Our betting tip; FURIA win 2-0

Spirit vs Ninjas in Pyjamas

Undeniable favorites, Spirit enjoyed a relatively smooth group stage. As always, donk's numbers are through the roof (1.61 rating at the event) followed by his faithful and reliable right hand, sh1ro, claiming a 1.33 rating. Greenlights all around for them, as they literally pummeled through Astralis in their qualifying series (13:5 and 13:7). With the Major in sight, it is absolutely necessary for Spirit to gather some confidence and claim a victory in Astana. Their leader, chopper, needs to showcase a deeper playbook and better time management, as his squad is slowly becoming infamous for mismanaging their late round situations. This tournament is about gathering confidence and getting reacquainted with lifting a trophy.

Ninjas in Pyjamas in the playoffs probably was not on your bingo card. We get it. The massive overhaul of the line-up led to the loss of all VRS points, which meant NiP had to battle through the hardships of online qualifiers to get here in the first place. Tactically, Snappi has made an impression with the level his team displayed on Train. We expect this map to be played once again between the two squads. If an X factor has to be named, it will be r1nkle. The young sniper will have a lot on his shoulders, especially when you consider how aggressive donk likes to play. If r1nkle is willing, he will be presented with opportunities to cut down donk's aggression. Can he handle it?

Our betting tip; Spirit win 2-0

_{Picture courtesy of PGL}