Staehr on Astralis’ map-two collapses in Bucharest: “I don’t know if it’s a mental barrier”

Astralis rifler Victor “Staehr” Staehr says he can’t pinpoint why the team keeps falling apart on second maps at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, calling it “some mental thing” after back-to-back series where Astralis started competitively and then got swept aside. 

Astralis sit 1-2 in the Swiss group stage, with a lone win over an MIBR lineup using a stand-in. Their losses to B8 and Legacy both followed a similar pattern: a tight opener (including overtime) before a one-sided second map that sealed the series. “I actually don’t know, I have no clue… it must be some mental thing with a tough loss… that you need to reset faster for the next game,” Staehr told HLTV after the 0-2 defeat to Legacy on October 28. The full interview is also available in audio form. 

What happened versus Legacy and B8

Against Legacy, Astralis dropped Inferno and were then “steamrolled” on Nuke—a map Staehr called either “very, very good or a tough watch” for them depending on whether they reach their full-buy CT rounds. Match data confirms the 0-2 loss (Inferno, Nuke) on Oct 28. 

Two days earlier versus B8 (Mirage, Ancient), Astralis again lost 0-2 after an overtime opener, mirroring the storyline Staehr was reacting to. 

Their one win came on Oct 27—a 2-0 over MIBR (Inferno, Nuke)—to keep them alive heading into the elimination bracket. 

Staehr on roles and Magisk’s impact

Asked whether role tweaks contributed to his quieter starts, Staehr emphasized it was map-dependent (e.g., anchoring Ramp on Nuke, team-oriented setups on Inferno) rather than a structural shift. He also praised Emil “Magisk” Reif, saying the veteran brings strong theory and on-server ideas—and “still hits hard” despite time on Falcons’ bench earlier in the year. 

Magisk officially rejoined Astralis on September 1, replacing stavn, who stepped back due to personal reasons; Falcons confirmed his release the same day. 

What the opponents are saying

Legacy’s AWPer Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco underlined the team’s mindset in Bucharest: “I don’t care about stats… if you get 13 rounds, that’s it. I just want to win.” He described deliberately giving space (and even guns) to entry dumau to maximize team outputs—a mentality that’s shown up in Legacy’s 2-0 over Gentle Mates and the upset of Astralis. 

The bigger picture in Bucharest

HLTV’s day-one summary placed Astralis in the 0-1 pool after the B8 loss, with favorites otherwise largely untroubled. Later scheduling updates set the 2-1 and 1-2 matchups that would determine who reached playoffs or went home, underscoring how fine the margins became after Astralis’ slow start. 

Key quotes (verbatim)

Staehr on the pattern: “I don’t know if it’s a mental barrier… it must be some mental thing with a tough loss… that you need to reset faster for the next game.” 

Staehr on Nuke: “Our Nuke is either very, very good or a tough watch… we got only one CT round where we had a full buy… if we don’t get those rounds, then it’s over.” 

Staehr on Magisk: “He comes in with a lot of qualities… good takes about how he wants to play a site or how we should execute… and he also still hits hard.” 

saadzin (Legacy) on priorities: “I don’t care about stats… I just want to win.”