There’s no denying that Astralis are the best CS:GO team in 2019 right now. Not only did they win the last major, but they won eight Premier Events last year and even more small tournaments. Are Astralis the best CS:GO team of all time?

It’s possible. They’ve reigned at #1 for a seriously long time with other teams failing to even come close. But can they beat the reigns of former dominant forces such as SK Gaming/Luminosity, fnatic, and NiP? Let’s take a look.

Astralis are the Longest-Running HLTV #1 Team

When it comes to knowing the best CS:GO teams in the world, most people look at the HLTV rankings. HLTV uses an objective system which calculates points based on recent performances and who each team has managed to beat.

Astralis Best CS:GO Team 2019

Astralis have been #1 for over 9 months. Even more impressively, they’ve stayed at 1000 points, the absolute highest, ever since August.

The previous #1 team, FaZe, were in the position for 2 months. SK Gaming came close, keeping the spot from June 2017 to January 2018. Fnatic were the top dogs from December 2015 until March 2016.

It’s worth noting that all of these teams have had multiple runs at #1. But as it stands, no one has beaten Astralis’ reign of dominance since the HLTV rankings began.

The only team which may compete is Ninjas in Pyjamas in their 87-0 run, which happened long before HLTV rankings started. However, many would argue this was during a much less competitive era where they didn’t have teams like the current FaZe, NaVi, and Liquid rosters constantly trying to knock them off.

Astralis are the First Millionaires in CS:GO

Astralis set CS:GO records in 2018 when four of their core hit the $1 million mark in prize earnings.

Astralis Earnings

Of course, this record may be a little misleading. Many players will have already earned well over a million dollars when you factor in their salary and earnings from sponsors.

Prize pools are also much bigger than they used to be. If we had regular $500,000 or $1,000,000 tournaments in the Luminosity/SK Gaming era of dominance, they may have hit a million long before.

However, this doesn’t dampen Astralis’ achievement. Dev1ce, dupreeh, Xyp9x, and gla1ve are now CS:GO millionaires per starts from Esportsearnings. Magisk is only slightly behind at $912,481.97. With two major championships and a string of huge tournament wins, it goes to show just how impressive their reign of dominance is.

Are Astralis the Best CS:GO Team of All Time?

As of right now, it’s impossible to argue that the current Astralis CS:GO roster is one of the greatest of all time.

Their reign of dominance might be the most impressive. While the NiP 87-0 run may have been stronger, Astralis have done it against much better competition.

The old FalleN-led Luminosity/SK Gaming roster also comes close. However, even they had many bumpy performances. Astralis, at points, have looked practically unbeatable.

Astralis’ reign at #1 may not last for much longer. With many CS:GO roster changes and their recent loss to Liquid at IBP Masters 2019, 2019 could be a much more competitive year. However, at this point they have made a strong case for the best CS:GO team of all time.

Have something to tell us about this article?