MIBR's revamped roster will face Astralis in their first match ever, and it will be a tough one.
Formerly Brazil's best team, MIBR has undergone some serious roster changes in the past month, and their first test definitely isn't going to gently ease them into this new era. After the organization benched longtime stars Epitácio "TACO" de Melo and Fernando "fer" Alvarenga, in-game leader Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo decided to remove himself from the lineup in protest. Add on how the team also parted ways with manager and coach Ricardo "dead" Sinigaglia this week over his suspension for abusing CSGO's coaching exploit and MIBR has an entirely new lineup.
Only two members remain after the purge, Vito "kNgV-" Giuseppe and Alencar "trk" Rossato, but they've been joined by former MIBR coach and player Raphael "cogu" Camargo and Lucas "LUCAS1" Teles. MIBR has also acquired two players on loan, Leonardo "leo_dark" Olivera and Vinicius "v$m" Moreira to round out its roster.
Unfortunately, the team will face the toughest competition imaginable at BLAST Premier Fall Series.
Astralis should take MIBR showdown, but pay attention to MIBR's gameplan
MIBR drew Danish powerhouse Astralis for its first game of the tournament, and that's not good news for MIBR. Now back at full strength, Astralis is starting to return to peak form. While the team dropped its final two matches of DreamHack Open Fall against Natus Vincere and Heroic, the Danes have had two full weeks to get on the same page. So what can fans expect from the new look MIBR against such a strong team?
Not much, probably. But the match is an opportunity for MIBR's new lineup to gain experience heading into the rest of the tournament. There's little pressure on MIBR heading into its Astralis matchup, meaning that fans might get the opportunity to see what cogu can come up with for his young players.
Fans of both teams should expect a solid gameplan from Astralis as they feel out MIBR's new players, but they also shouldn't be surprised if MIBR's new squad pull off some impressive rounds. Facing down one of the world's best teams will give MIBR the opportunity to play fearlessly. They're not expected to win, but MIBR's young and hungry players could pull off some impressive rounds.
Fans may be tempted to skip this match entirely with the expectation that Astralis will run all over MIBR, but there's always something to learn from matches like these. Fans shouldn't skip it just because there's a heavy favorite.
