Aerial steps back from competition

The Finn will be taking a break from competition as a result of sleeping issues.

Jani "⁠Aerial⁠" Jussila has departed HAVU's starting roster and is subsequently taking a step back from active competition due to sleep problems, the Finnish organization announced on Twitter.

In his place, HAVU have turned to Olli "⁠sLowi⁠" Pitkänen, who returns to his former long-term home of four years (2018-2022) as the team's stand-in moving forward. The 27-year-old was last seen plying his trade with Aleksi "⁠allu⁠" Jalli's JANO lineup, where he was the second-best performer (1.04 rating) behind only allu himself (1.14).

Aerial was a part of HAVU for over two years, joining the organization in early 2021 on a transfer from ENCE to link back up with his former teammate in Sami "⁠xseveN⁠" Laasanen.

The 29-year-old has consistently been one of the team's most stalwart players in that time, averaging a solid 1.09 rating across 459 maps. The Finn also led the charge for the team at Elisa Masters Espoo in 2022, putting up a team-high 0.98 rating in what was one of just two international LANs the squad attended.

Alas, the team failed to make many inroads elsewhere despite Aerial's strong showings in the server. The Finnish troupe failed to qualify for the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMRs in Denmark after losing to 500 in the last chance qualifier, a defeat which hastened Joonas "⁠doto⁠" Forss' own departure and continued a period of roster instability for the side.

HAVU will be hoping to remain competitive despite the loss of one of their long-term recruits. The Finns' debut matchup with sLowi on their ranks will be on May 24, when the team will resume a run through Elisa Invitational Spring 2023, where they currently sport a dead-even 1-1 record.

"Jani [Aerial] has announced that the time has come to put playing competitively on hold for now due sleeping problems," the Finnish organization stated. "HAVU fully supports his decision and wishes him all the best and we hope that some day he might join to play once again."

"I have decided to move aside from HAVU's CS:GO roster due to years of sleep problems," Aerial began in a press release. "I find it impossible to succeed at the moment. The level of professional CS is currently very high and you can't keep up there with a few hours of sleep a day.

"I'm not actively looking to play in a team before I have solved my sleeping problems. I wish my teammates the best of luck for the future," the 29-year-old concluded.

HAVU now have the following roster:

Sami "⁠xseveN⁠" Laasanen
Matias "⁠Banjo⁠" Kivistö
Otto "⁠ottoNd⁠" Sihvo
Jussi "⁠Airax⁠" Airaksinen
Olli "⁠sLowi⁠" Pitkänen (stand-in)

Mikko "⁠xartE⁠" Välimaa (coach)