Astralis Claims ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals and Intel Grand Slam

Astralis took home the ESL Pro League Season 8 finals Sunday after a resounding victory over Team Liquid.

The series began on shaky ground for Astralis, as Team Liquid took an early lead after a dominating 16-8 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive performance on Train. Liquid pressed that momentum in the first half of map two, Mirage, but Astralis held strong to steal the map back 16-11.

Astralis went on to take Inferno 16-11 on the back of heroic play from Emil "Magisk" Reif, whose incredible pistol play kept Liquid's economy in check, letting players like Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander push the pressure to Liquid's breaking point.

Dust2 proved the backbreaker for Liquid, as Astralis steamrolled the other team in the second half to pick up a 16-10 win and yet another trophy for the Astralis era.

Astralis' victory also earns them the first ever Intel Grand Slam, awarded to the first team to win four tournaments within any 10-event stretch. The ESL Pro League Season 8 win complements first place finishes at DreamHack Masters Marseille in April, the ESL Pro League Season 7 finals in May, and IEM Chicago in November. The Grand Slam will add another $1 million to Astralis' $250,000 for the ESL win itself.