gla1ve: "Nobody is like zonic"

Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander talked to HLTV about Astralis' recent changes to the roster and coaching staff ahead of the team's campaign at BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021.

A hall of fame captain, gla1ve has been leading Astralis since 2016, powering them to a record-breaking four Major titles as well as collecting numerous trophies across his five-year stint with the Danish powerhouse.

Seen by many as an unsinkable ship, the Astralis squad that dominated 2018 and the better part of 2019 began to see their pieces drift away this year with the departure of superstar AWPer Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz to Ninjas in Pyjamas in early 2021. Despite losing their most iconic player, Astralis moved forwards to PGL Major Stockholm with 4/5 of the all-conquering squad alongside Philip "⁠Lucky⁠" Ewald in a last-ditch attempt to recreate the magic seen two years prior but they would not see success.

The squad's elimination from the Major in the Legends Stage would mark the end of gla1ve's collaboration with long-time coach Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen and teammates Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen and Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif as the Astralis organization announced that the trio would not renew their contracts set to expire at the end of 2021.

To kickstart a new era for Astralis the organization announced the signing of Complexity's Danish duo of Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer and Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke alongside previous North coach and CS 1.6 veteran Alexander "⁠ave⁠" Holdt. Despite the new members' obvious ability on the server, replacing the departing trio was never going to be an easy task and as the new roster looks to leave its mark at BLAST Premier Fall Final, gla1ve sat down with HLTV to discuss the changes to the squad.

We are now looking at a new phase for Astralis but Rome was not built in a day. One of the first moves was to extend your contract with the organization until 2024. How does it feel to have a new long-term commitment with the team?

It feels right. Astralis has been my home for many years and coming to the office is like family. It means a lot to me to be a part of what is coming and to continue building on everything we have created. I don’t see myself in any other organization at this point, so the long-term contract means a lot.

As the team's captain and IGL, how involved were you in the decision-making process behind the rebuilding of Astralis over the last four months?

Ultimately it will always be the organization’s decision how to go forward, but I have had a lot of talks with the team and with the people in the organization. It has all been really transparent internally, and I certainly have given my input and thoughts. I am really excited about what is to come.

Lucky has been with the team since August now, how do you view his progress since joining and what do you think of his role moving forwards with the new squad?

Lucky has all the qualities in-game to make it big. As a young player and as a new player on a team like Astralis with all the attention from the outside, you need a solid team around you. Due to my parental leave, he has played in 3 different line-ups and that is not the optimal condition for a new player, to say the least. We will see a lot more from him over the coming months, I am sure. As a team, we will be in a much better place going forwards, and that will benefit all players

In October came the extension of Xyp9x. There was a lot of uncertainty over his future with the organization right until his extension, what changed?

I think it is only natural to check out your options and decide what is best for you. Everything going on in Astralis always seems to create big headlines, but for us on the team, we’re used to all the talk and you can only appreciate the attention really. Xyp is an important piece of the Astralis puzzle and he is someone who knows and bears our culture deep inside, so I am really glad he is here. It is obvious he is in a really good place mentally these days, and he brings a lot to the group.

Why part ways with dupreeh and Magisk? Was there no agreement reached to extend their contracts like Xyp9x?

You really need to ask them, but there are absolutely no hard feelings and only respect between us. I can’t say how much they have meant to me as players and as friends. They are a vital part of Astralis’ history and legacy and will always be, and, just like everybody else who has been on the team throughout the years, they will be welcomed with open arms when they drop by the office. I really wish them all the best and will always keep in contact with them all.

k0nfig and blameF were picked as their successors, why them?

From my point of view they are a perfect fit for what we want to build. They are both top players with the potential to be among the best in the world, they fit in perfectly when it comes to their new roles, and they bring a lot of new energy and hunger to the team. And they really, really have shown they want to be in Astralis, which means a lot to everybody. You never know before you’ve been tested for real on the server and it will take time to get everything right, but you can feel new confidence on the team already.

Will blameF help with calling?

I will be calling but blameF brings a lot of ideas and alternative solutions. You really feel his presence, but we don’t have a lot of time to prepare for the coming tournaments, so for now it is mostly me doing the calls. Over time his presence will certainly give us a new dimension, which will make us much harder to read.

k0nfig was looked at before Magisk in 2018, what has changed since?

I am not going into details as to our considerations back then, but he is definitely a more mature player now and probably more Astralis than he has ever been.

Why sign k0nfig despite him not playing an official game after the injury?

You really can’t tell he has had an injury, but if he does get better from where he is at now, the fans really have something to look forward to!

What is Bubzkji's role in this new lineup, if any? As reports of Astralis offering him out to other organizations have recently surfaced.

Bubzkji has been a great professional and helped out the team, even if he wasn’t playing in Stockholm. In regards to the reports, I think it has already been confirmed he is in talks with the organization around his future, and I don’t think it is up to me to speculate.

Why let zonic go and why choose ave to replace him?

Again, I don’t want to speculate on others' behalf, but I look forward to working with ave.

How is ave different from zonic?

I think I will give a better answer once ave has settled in, but I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that ave is a bit more analytical and withdrawn than zonic, but they share the passion for the game. Nobody is like zonic.

Will his one Major ban from Valve affect the team's objectives?

Not at all.

How is the new team working together so far?

A lot of energy, lots of positive vibes, a lot of ambition, and hunger to show what we can do. The first couple of praccs were kind of messy, to be honest, but we’re finding the roles, and already now you see the contour of how we want to play and I think the fans will enjoy watching us.

How will these changes help Astralis move forwards?

ave and the team around him will bring a new approach to the game, and both blameF and k0nfig will add firepower and maybe a bit more aggression, but if you ask how Astralis as a whole will move forwards, the team and players are important, but just as much, so is the culture. Over the past years, Astralis has built a very strong culture and a certain way to do things, and this is what we will continue to build on with everything the new people bring with them.

What is the vision for this new lineup?

Personally, I want to win another Major, at least one, and I believe this line-up can ultimately get to a place where we are real contenders for all big titles. We know it will take time and the way we work, we expect it to take 3-4 months to get everything in place, but it doesn’t mean we are not going to give our best to win every match we play. Overall we want to be among the best of the game and always be a contender for the biggest titles. Astralis is something special and we will work hard to show the fans that we’re here to make them proud.