SK Gaming

The competition of ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 will reach its peak when the veterans of

Virtus.pro will take on the young, explosive Danish dynamite of

Astralis Denmark . The history of both teams could not be more different and this final could be the duel of contrasts. The team around

Wiktor 'TaZ' Wojtas has participated in many tournaments and was a part of the final stages of many important competitions. They are living legends in the scene and should have an advantage because of their experience. For years, their opponent had the reputation to fail during the deciding stages of contests and often were eliminated in semi-finals. They have left this image behind themselves since entering two finals in December and even lifted the first trophy in the history of the organization. With a first Major title they could end this distinction and establish themselves as one of the best once and for all. The average age of the Danes is 20.8, which is the youngest out of all the participants. In contrast the average age of 26.4 years of the pride of Poland marks the oldest average in the starting field.

Their path to the final is also very different, as the following statistics illustrate.

Virtus.pro road to the final:

Key stats:
7-1 record on 8 maps
228 rounds played
789 total kills and 727 total deaths
Team K/D ratio: 1.09

Lineup:

Wiktor 'TaZ' Wojtas (Major Rating: 1.10)

Filip 'NEO' Kubski (Major Rating: 0.88)

Jarosław 'pasha' Jarząbkowski (Major Rating: 1.13)

Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski (Major Rating: 1.26)

Paweł 'byali' Bieliński (Major Rating: 0.87)

Group stage results:
16-13 vs

OpTic Gaming on Cobblestone
16-14 vs

G2 on Nuke
16-10 vs

Gambit Gaming on Train

Quarter-final result:
16-4 vs

North on Overpass
12-16 vs

North on Cache
16-13 vs

North on Cobblestone

Semi-final result:
19-17 vs

SK Gaming on Train
16-14 vs

SK Gaming on Cobblestone

Astralis Denmark road to the final:

Key stats:
7-3 record on 10 maps
261 rounds played
964 total kills and 825 total deaths
Team K/D ratio: 1.10

Lineup:

Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth (Major Rating: 0.93)

Peter 'dupreeh' Rasmussen (Major Rating: 1.01)

Lukas 'gla1ve' Rossander (Major Rating: 1.08)

Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjaerbye (Major Rating: 1.09)

Nicolai 'device' Reedtz (Major Rating: 1.35)

Group stage results:
6-16 vs

GODSENT on Train
16-12 vs

OpTic Gaming on Train
16-5 vs

G2 on Train
17-19 vs

SK Gaming on Dust 2
16-3 vs

Team Liquid on Mirage

Quarter-final result:
16-7 vs

NaVi on Overpass
14-16 vs

NaVi on Mirage
16-10 vs

NaVi on Dust 2

Semi-final result:
19-16 vs

Fnatic on Cache
16-5 vs

Fnatic on Nuke

Virtus.pro swept through the group format and displayed a deep map pool on their path to the final. All players play to their strengths and complement each other very well. They always seem one step ahead of their opponents and appear to be in top form.

The Danes entered the final the hard way. With the score of 3-2 during the group phase, they had to scratch and claw their way to the top and entered the quarter-final against the top ranked team of

Natus Vincere . After upsetting them, they took out the veterans of

Fnatic and will try to cause some more problems for the next group of experienced opponents.

Nicolai 'device' Reedtz is playing out of his mind at the moment. His K/D difference of +84 leads to a 1.35 rating. He has 242 total kills and gets two or more frags in 61.3% of the rounds. He is leading almost every individual statistic in every regard throughout this Major and could be the best player in the world right now. His teammates will need to keep up with him, if they want to come out on top against these opponents.

We will see some extraordinary Counter Strike and it will be interesting to see, if the stars align for

Astralis Denmark or if Virtus.Plow will bury the dreams of the aspiring youngsters.

Down below we will keep you posted about the results of the final matchup of ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017.

Final result:

2017-01-29 16:00 CET (10 AM EST) -

Astralis Denmark vs

Virtus.pro
1st map Nuke: 12-16 (6:9; 6:7). Top fragger:

Paweł 'byali' Bieliński: 24/17
2nd map Overpass: 16-14 (9:6; 7:8). Top fragger:

Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth: 28/20
3rd map Train: 16-14 (6:9; 10:5). Top fragger:

Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjaerbye: 29/15

Astralis Denmark had their backs against the wall, but came back to win the two final maps and their first Major in a heartbreaking fashion thanks to two 16-14 scores. The youngest player of the tournament

Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjaerbye kept them in play by elevating his play to a new level and winning several clutch situations on the final map. They have shown heart and persistence and are a worthy champion.

ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 Final Standings:

1.

Astralis Denmark - $500,000
2.

Virtus.pro - $150,000
3-4.

SK Gaming - $70,000
3-4.

Fnatic - $70,000
5-8.

Natus Vincere - $35,000
5-8.

Gambit Gaming - $35,000
5-8.