gla1ve returns for PGL Major Stockholm; Bubzkji out

Astralis' lineup will boast four out of the five defending Major champions following the in-game leader's return.

Astralis have announced that Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander will play for the team at PGL Major Stockholm. He will replace Lucas "⁠Bubzkji⁠" Andersen on the Danish team's active roster at the $2 million event.

The move was made with less than two weeks to go before the Major kicks off on October 26 with the Challengers stage, in which Astralis will start their campaign at the tournament as one of the eight Challenger status teams, along with the eight Contenders.

"It is never easy to take a player out of the starting line-up and with Lucas it can seem a bit unfair as, no matter the circumstances, he has been a true professional and always delivered his best on and off the server," Astralis' Director of Sports, Kasper Hvidt, said.

"Danny and I have had a good talk with Lucas around the decision. He is disappointed, but he also knows he is a big part of the team, and he will give his best to help out."

"I have tremendous respect for a player and person like Lucas, however, we will always set the team we believe has the best chances to go all the way," Hvidt went on to explain when addressing the reasoning behind the decision.

Despite the switch costing Astralis 20% of their total Regional Major Ranking points, it will have no effect on their Major qualification or status, as they will remain in fourth place of the European standings due to amassing a large advantage over fifth-placed ENCE after IEM Fall, the final RMR tournament.

The news ends speculation about what lineup Astralis will use at the Major after the in-game leader had been sitting on the sidelines for the past month in anticipation of the birth of his child. gla1ve was widely expected to return to the roster after his son was born on Friday, but until now it was uncertain who he would replace.

Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth had been one of the candidates to sit out the Major as one of the players anticipated to make his way out of the team after his current contract runs out at the end of the year, when Astralis are expected to finalize a long-awaited rebuild of the roster.

But instead of the 26-year-old, who was the one to take a step back to make room for Philip "⁠Lucky⁠" Ewald during ESL Pro League Season 14 in August, Bubzkji has been put on the sidelines for the Stockholm competition that would have marked his first Major appearance.

Astralis' PGL Major Stockholm roster will be:

Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen
Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth
Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander
Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif
Philip "⁠Lucky⁠" Ewald

Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen (coach)