In the PGL Astana semifinal, Aurora and Astralis will face off — a team in strong form versus experience and stability. Both teams have shown solid performances at the tournament, so the match prediction promises to be close and intense.
Current Form
Aurora have shown confident form at the Astana Major. Over the past three months, they have played 122 maps and won 69 of them. In May, the team participated only in this Major, advancing from the group stage with a 3–2 record. Particularly impressive is their run of four wins in their last five matches — beating The MongolZ, ODDIK, NiP, and HOTU, and losing only to NAVI.
Astralis, despite failing to qualify for the BLAST.tv Austin Major, have surprised everyone with their performance at PGL Astana 2025. They’ve won four of their last five matches, including victories over NAVI, Virtus.pro, paiN, and ODDIK. In the past three months, they played 60 maps and won 29 — a sign of some inconsistency, but their recent form suggests they’re a dangerous opponent.
Map Pool
In this match, Aurora will most likely start by banning Dust2 — a map they consistently avoid. Astralis, in response, are almost certain to remove Anubis, which is Aurora’s strongest map by win rate. Aurora will likely pick Mirage — a map they’ve played 9 times with an impressive 78% win rate. Astralis, on the other hand, are expected to go with Ancient, their best-performing map at 60% win rate and a solid counterpick against less experienced opponents.
After the initial picks, Aurora will probably ban Inferno — another key map in Astralis’ pool — and the Danes are expected to remove Train, a map they’d rather avoid at this stage. That would leave Nuke as the decider — a map both teams are comfortable on and one that promises a close battle.
Head-to-Head and Key Players
Aurora and Astralis haven’t met in any official matches in the past six months, making this their first head-to-head clash in 2025.
For Aurora, XANTARES stands out as the team’s leader, with an impressive 1.21 rating at the tournament — a sign of consistent high-level play.
On the Astralis side, stavn has been the driving force, showing strong form with a 1.17 rating. His impact has been crucial in their victories over top-tier opponents.
Match Prediction
Considering recent form, Aurora enter the semifinal with more map practice, a deeper pool, and a confident win streak. At the same time, Astralis impressed with wins over elite teams like NAVI and bring a more experienced lineup.
The map picks seem fairly balanced: Aurora are likely to take Mirage, Astralis will go with Ancient, and Nuke may be the decider. This final map could turn into a battleground between two star performers — XANTARES and stavn.
Prediction: 2–1 for Aurora, assuming XANTARES maintains his form and the team capitalizes on its map advantages. However, a tight, overtime-filled series is very possible.
