5star Eliminates Astralis at FISSURE Playground 3 in Suzhou

5star became the talk of the town at the $1,000,000 FISSURE Playground 3 tournament in Suzhou after eliminating Astralis. The world number 127 team previously took down compatriots The MongolZ on day two, an initial result that many expected to be a temporary flash in the pan. Instead, 5star secured another giant scalp by sending the European squad home early.

The elimination series began on Inferno, where 5star established a lightning-fast 9-3 start. Dulguun "⁠hoolig4n⁠" Batsaikhan top-fragged for 5star in the eventual 13-10 victory. The second map, Ancient, saw normal programming restored as Astralis bounced back with a smooth 13-5 win fueled by Victor "⁠Staehr⁠" Staehr and his four kills in the pistol round.

The decisive third map on Cache proved to be a chaotic battle for control. Gerelt-Od "⁠clouden⁠" Jargal secured a crucial 1v1 at the end of the first half to make it 7-5. Astralis later found their footing with smart retakes and a CT pistol win, taking an 11-9 lead that positioned the world number 12 team to cruise into the top eight. However, 5star rallied as clouden won another 1v1 in round 21 and broke the opponent economy in the following round. Up 12-11, 5star faced underdog pressure again when Astralis secured multiple opening kills for a 4v2 advantage. Ariunjargal "⁠ariucle⁠" Yadam and Uuganbayar "⁠NEUZ⁠" Nyam-Otgon ultimately pieced together the final clutch to complete the upset.