Astralis, the Danish esports organization, has made some significant roster changes involving their veteran players Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth. Gla1ve will be moved to the bench in the main roster, while Xyp9x will be placed on the bench in the academy roster.
Astralis has officially announced the addition of Victor “Staehr” Staehr, a move that was previously reported by some sources, and has surprised the community by also signing Johannes “b0RUP” Borup, who has played for Heroic, MAD Lions, and Copenhagen Flames in the past.
With Staehr joining the team, gla1ve will be benched for the time being, as Astralis aims to find a new team or role for the veteran in-game leader. The organization had been pursuing Staehr for several months, and they have finally secured his services after acquiring him from Sprout.
Staehr‘s arrival means that he will take gla1ve‘s place in the starting five, resulting in a shift in in-game leadership responsibilities to Benjamin “blameF” Bremer. On the other hand, b0RUP will step into the shoes of Alexander “Altekz” Givskov, who will return to the Astralis Talent lineup. Consequently, Xyp9x, the experienced Astralis player, will be placed on the bench due to b0RUP’s arrival.
These changes to Astralis‘ roster come in the midst of an organization-wide shakeup following the departure of sporting director Kasper Hvidt and head analyst Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen. The decision to let them go was influenced by the team’s inconsistent performances, which did not meet the organization’s aspirations.
Head coach Peter “casle” Ardenskjold, who will receive assistance from former Talent coach Mathias “R0nic” Pinholt in the upcoming season, shared his thoughts on the new additions to the team:
I am extremely happy that we have agreed with Sprout on an immediate transfer of Staehr, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest Danish CS talents of the past 5 years. It’s an open secret, we’ve had a good eye for him for a long time, and in terms of what we want with the team, he fits in perfectly. I am looking forward to working with him and helping him to really develop his potential further. In relation to b0RUP, he is a player we know well. He has been brought in for the specific role in the system we want to play and I expect him to contribute a lot to the team and his teammates. He is only 23, but he brings in a lot of useful experience, and with these 5 players on the roster, I have a strong belief, we have found a better balance in the team and a will come out with a lot of energy and firepower.
Peter Ardenskjold, Head Coach
Astralis, a team partnered with BLAST, will begin the upcoming season with their newly formed roster at the Premier Fall Groups tournament, scheduled to start on July 13.
Here is the current roster of Astralis:
- Benjamin “blameF” Bremer
- Nicolai “device” Reedtz
- Christian “Buzz” Andersen
- Victor “Staehr” Staehr
- Johannes “b0RUP” Borup
- Peter “casle” Ardenskjold (coach)
- Mathias “R0nic” Pinholt (assistant coach)
- Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander (benched)
And here is the Astralis Talent with the Altekz’s return:
- Kristoffer “Kristou” Aamand
- Patrick “Patti” Larsen
- Alexander “br0” Bro
- Mikkel “MistR” Thomsen
- Alexander “Altekz” Givskov
- Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth (benched)
