Today, the next tournament of the Malta Vibes Knockout Series has begun. With each edition, more renowned teams are participating in the championship. This time, teams like Fnatic, Copenhagen Flames, ForZe, and k23 will compete. Along with them, less prominent lineups and academies are joining in. That’s the exact matchup between 1shot and Astralis we’ll break down today.
1shot
The team was formed in July of last year, starting in the lower tiers of CIS esports. They picked up FpSSS and SasukeQO from GROND, GreK from LeGodz, pnq from the Spirit Academy, and Get_Jeka for the fifth spot. LostDF, who has a VAC ban, took the coaching role. Things quickly improved, and the roster embarked on an exciting journey from the lower ESEA division up to ESEA Premier. In September, SasukeQO and pnq were replaced by faydett and Synyx from the ‘born to win’ academy. Thanks to their strong results, 1shot received a direct invite to the first stage of Malta Vibes.
Astralis Talent
The Astralis youth academy was established in 2020. It participated in two seasons of the WePlay Academy League but was a major underdog alongside FURIA Academy. Everything changed in the third season when the Danes surprisingly defeated fnatic Rising, Navi Junior, and Young Ninjas in the matches for playoff qualification. This earned the academy a spot in the WePlay Academy Season 3 Finals, where from February 11 to 13, they’ll compete against MOUZ NXT, BIG Academy, and Spirit Academy for the top prize of $100,000. Like 1shot, Astralis Talent received an invitation to the first stage of the Malta Vibes tournament.
Statistics and Prediction
Over the last three months, 1shot has a win rate of 81.2%. The young Astralis squad has a win rate of 43.8%. In the global rankings, the Danes sit at 127th, while their opponents are at 55th. The teams haven’t faced each other before.
According to bookmakers, 1shot is the favorite in this match, with odds around 1.5 for their victory. The Russians will be competing in the top ESEA division against teams like Entropiq, Movistar Riders, Copenhagen Flames, Sprout, and others—this is a serious level. The team has beaten DBL Poney, Nemiga, and SAW, and they’re on a five-game winning streak. 1shot excels on maps like Nuke, Inferno, and Dust2.
Astralis Talent had been losing consistently until recently, but after changing their captain and coach, they’ve started winning. Fessor has been particularly strong and consistent. Over the last few months, the team has improved on Nuke and Mirage. Bookmakers offer odds of 2.48 for their victory.
If 1shot keeps playing at their recent level, Astralis Talent will have slim chances of winning. However, the Russians have dropped one map in each of their last four matches, so why couldn’t the motivated Danes, who are on a bootcamp, put up a fight? After their recent successes, they should have plenty of confidence.
