Astralis Making Roster Changes

It has already been a big year of Counter-Strike action, and some teams have been able to put together some great performances. Astralis used to be a team that was favored in nearly every single event, but that just hasn’t been the case of late. 

After struggling to begin 2024, Astralis is going to be making some big changes in an attempt to get back to qualifying for majors. Other teams have simply passed right by Astralis, and this team needs to make a number of moves in order to be competitive again. 

While there have been plenty of teams that have made knee jerk reactions that felt unnecessary, that is not the case with these moves. It’s clear that the current system just isn’t working for Astralis, and they are hoping to fix things before it is too late. 

Big Names Being Moved

Some teams end up making moves that impact the bottom of the roster, but that is not how Astralis is attacking things this time around. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer has been the leader of this team in the past, but he is now heading to the bench. 

As the in-game leader, “blameF” tends to set the tone for Team Astralis, and he just hasn’t been able to compete with some of the other leaders in this sport. Not only is he now heading to the bench, but the team could be looking to make a sale to get him off of the roster altogether. 

Players aren’t the only ones that will be without a job on this team as interim head coach Mathias Pinholt has also been replaced. Not only was Pinholt serving as interim coach to begin 2024, but he has spent a long time as an assistant on this staff. 

It didn’t take long for this team to find a new coach as they have hired Casper “ruggah” Due to lead the team moving forward. He has spent some time with other top programs in this sport, and he will bring an entirely new game plan to the program. 

Some Disappointing Finishes

The PGL Copenhagen European RMR B just wrapped up, and it was another disappointing ending for Team Astralis. They finished that event by going just 2-3 overall, and their run ended with a 2-0 upset loss to 9Pandas. 

It’s simply too hard to describe just how far this team has fallen in the last few years, as they are no longer a contender each year. Astralis once had won three straight majors before the COVID-pandemic stopped CS action, and they have never been able to recover. 

Astralis was still able to reach the playoffs at PGL Stockholm and PGL Antwerp, but things have been a complete mess since that time. In their last three shots at a major, this team has failed to even qualify, and they have suffered some disappointing and stunning losses. 

There have been some roster moves made in recent years in an attempt to turn things around, but nothing has been as drastic as the most recent moves. 

No Australian Teams

While Team Astralis has been struggling, there is also one specific region that is off to a disappointing start in 2024. At the Asia-Pacific RMR, there were a couple of teams from Australia that were looking to qualify. 

Greyhound was the team that appeared to have the best shot from this country, but they had a disappointing end to their run. Having one country completely left out of a major is something that doesn’t happen often as it was the first shutout in six years for Australia. 

There has been a major shift in the talent pool when it comes to Counter-Strike action as younger players are getting into the mix.