Some of Astralis’ greatest stars have left the team, but don’t expect an extended layoff for the players.
According to
1pv, Vitality is set to add the recently released trio of Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, Emil “Magisk” Reif, and Danny “zonic” Sørensen. This will see the team drop Richard “shox” Papillon and Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van, as well as coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam.
This will make for a star-studded new European lineup that will see the Vitality organization shed its longtime all-French approach to roster-building. If the reports are true, the new Vitality will look like this:
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire
Emil “Magisk” Reif
Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen
Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier
Danny “zonic” Sørensen (coach)
The move comes after Astralis washed out of the Legends Stage of the PGL Stockholm Major, which resulted in the departures of dupreeh and Magisk. The duo that helped establish Astralis as CSGO’s first four-time major-winning organization
were replaced
with Complexity’s Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke.
Neither the Vitality organization nor any of the players involved have confirmed the news. If the transfer reports are true, the team’s debut is likely to come in the BLAST Fall Finals on November 24.
What happened to Astralis?
Astralis’ championship roster has been in a state of decline since 2020, which has led to public frustration from the players and the dissolution of the roster.
Reports that things were tense within Astralis came in 2020, with the issues stemming from pressure from organization management on the players to compete frequently. According to
Dexerto, this originated from a mix of Astralis’ 2020 IPO, the company’s requirements for ESL and Blast, and a difference in training philosophies with staff who came from a traditional sports background.
This led to multiple Astralis players seeking out extended breaks backed by doctors’ notes in 2020, resulting in the team maintaining a fluid six-man roster. This came to a head in April 2021 when Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz was shipped to Ninjas in Pyjamas. Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth also discussed possibly leaving the team but signed a
contract extension
ahead of the PGL Stockholm Major.
Xyp9x and Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander are both signed to extended contracts with the organization and will be looking to emulate their past success with a new Danish lineup.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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