Astralis confirm dupreeh, Magisk, zonic departure

Three Astralis members that helped shape a dynasty have formally parted ways with the organization.

Astralis have announced the departure of long-time members Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen, Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif, and Danny "⁠zonic⁠" Sørensen ahead of the expiry of their contracts and their expected move to Vitality in time for the 2022 season, which was first reported in early November.

The trio had been benched from the active roster for the better part of the past two months following the team's signing of Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke, Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer, and Alexander "⁠ave⁠" Holdt.

The move marked the culmination of a long period of uncertainty around the legendary squad, who had been rumored to undergo extensive changes after the team first lost Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz in the superstar's shock move to Ninjas in Pyjamas in late April.

dupreeh, Magisk, and zonic are reportedly joining Vitality

In July, HLTV.org reported that tension had been building between zonic and the organization after the coach grew disillusioned with the team's direction and that he was pondering his departure at the end of his contract.

The report followed a series of controversial moves inside Astralis, who decided to create an extended roster in the middle of 2020, after Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander and Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth took temporary leave from the team, and continued to experiment with the lineup for the rest of the year.

Apart from the legendary quintet, Lucas "⁠Bubzkji⁠" Andersen was the only player to stay on the roster for longer than a few months following his arrival, and he has been in and out of the active lineup ever since.

The end of 2020 saw Astralis return to the top of the podium despite the controversial approach, but in 2021 the Danish squad wasn't able to bring home a single trophy and only appeared in one grand final, at BLAST Premier Global Final at the beginning of the year.

Although in recent times the team experienced a fall from grace, dupreeh, Magisk and zonic leave behind a legacy to be remembered. The trio were a part of the lineup that many view as the best of all time, helping shape the Astralis era that lasted for nearly two years as they won three consecutive Major titles and a plethora of other trophies, as well as the first season of the Intel Grand Slam.

Before Magisk's addition to the team in early 2018, zonic and dupreeh had been part of the organization for two more years, winning several tournaments including the first of their four Major titles at ELEAGUE Major in 2017.