The last few years have been difficult for Astralis. The team remains the most decorated in CS:GO history, with a record four major wins in a dominant era spanning from 2017 to 2019. Since then, sucess has been hard to achieve for the team, with high-profile departures and general roster-uncertainty defining post-pandemic Astralis.
Three of the core five at the heart of their past successes are still with Astralis. This includes star AWPer dev1ce, who recently transferred back from Ninjas In Pyjamas bench to make his competitive return. He’s looked brilliant, showing no sign of rust after a ten-month break from the server. His team, however, has looked anything but brilliant. With their status as Denmark’s number one team superseded by Heroic, Astralis is seeking a return to Tier 1 CS:GO in 2023 – and here’s how they can do it.
Astralis’ end of 2022 roster leaves much to be desired.
MistR MistR
Astralis’ most glaring issue is that rifler MistR isn’t up to scratch. It’s not his fault, either. The 18-year-old was drafted from Astralis Talent as an emergency replacement after k0nfig was dropped for personal reasons.
Three months into the MistR experiment, Astralis urgently need someone to come in and make an immediate impact. Prevailing rumors suggest that his replacement is Buzz from MASONIC. It’s suggested that they settled for the 19-year-old after ambitious moves for Staehr and sjuush failed. While this may come as an anti-climax to many Astralis fans, it represents a high-risk high-reward move that could frugally solve a problem position. Questions linger about whether Buzz is that “immediate impact”. With dev1ce now 27 years old, Astralis must be wary they don’t waste his prime developing sub-par talent.
Some fans yearn for the re-signing of k0nfig. The nature of his departure means that this move is next-to-impossible for either side, especially after k0nfig competed as a stand-in for rivals Heroic at the recent BLAST World Final.
The Ghosts Of Astralis’ Past
There’s an elephant in the room at Astralis. It isn’t dev1ce, nor is it blameF, who looks a level above his teammates whenever he plays. The issue lies with veterans Xyp9x and gla1ve, who despite past glories currently resemble ghosts of their former selves.
It’s a conundrum Astralis don’t want to solve. Both are 27, so it’s impossible to say if they’re finished at the top level. The reality is that neither currently look good enough for top tier Counter-Strike. It’s possible that the game’s meta has left them behind. Perhaps their inconsistency is a result of never-ending roster changes. Whatever the reason, dev1ce will surely look to stick by his old colleagues. Should Astralis cut the duo, it would be a colossal change in direction for the team. It also risks upsetting team harmony, with the duo part of the fabric of the organization. But if their dire form continues, the time will come for Astralis to face the music. Xyp9x and gla1ve need to give more, FAST, or step aside so Astralis can return to the pinnacle of CS:GO.
The team faces financial issues, as the lack of success leaves a lasting mark on the organization. It threatens to spiral out of control – they can’t afford better players without success, but can’t find success without better players. Though it’ll be tough, there are solutions for Astralis. They have AWPer farlig benched, who at 23 years old has plenty of resale value for potential re-investment. If Xyp9x and gla1ve are replaced, the duo should fetch enough of a fee to adequately replace them.
These decisions need to be made soon, or Astralis risks being consigned to Tier 2 CS:GO for the foreseeable future.
