Astralis fe to rebuild around aurora

The organization bids farewell to four of its Astralis W players as it looks to build a Danish-majority roster.

Astralis W have parted ways with four of their players and are set to rebuild around Aurora "⁠aurora⁠" Lyngdal, who will be the only player to survive the overhaul. The new roster, which will feature a Danish core, will be gradually introduced over the coming weeks, the organization added.

The announcement sees Héjja "⁠kezziwow⁠" Kászandrá, Selin "⁠spike⁠" Sinem Alak, and Yoana "⁠Joanana⁠" Vlaykova all leave the organization that they joined when Astralis W entered the women's scene in September 2022, whilst Luna "⁠ManeschijnX⁠" Akkermans departs after just two months' service.

Astralis W struggled to make many deep runs during their eight months with the Major-winning brand, notably failing to qualify for ESL Impact Katowice after finishing in joint-last place in both online qualifiers.

The European roster also faced difficulties in the flagship ESL Impact League Season 3, where they finished in 9-10th place. aurora and company recorded just one victory during the 12-team tournament, picking up a 2-1 win versus the MVP team now known as Spirit fe, in what was their only HLTV-featured win throughout the squad's eight-month tenure with the organization.

Astralis W's rebuild comes just before the start of the ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals in Dallas, Texas on June 2-4. The start date of the next installment of the women's circuit is yet to be announced, but the ESL Impact League Season 4 Finals, which will feature eight teams from across Europe and the Americas, is set to be held in Valencia, Spain on December 8-10, 2023.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank the players for their efforts and contribution," began Kasper Hvidt, Director of Sports at Astralis, in the organization's press release. "We needed to build a team that could compete in major tournaments and be part of a professional organization, and everyone who has been part of the team has done their utmost and will for always be a part of our history and the Astralis Family.

"We are now at a point where we can take the next step and follow the path we have set throughout our CS organization, with a mix of established and talented primarily Danish players who can develop within our organization... The goal is to develop a team that can compete at the top level over the coming years," Hvidt continued.

"We have a very good idea of the direction we want to take regarding the squad, but we will share much more information when everything is finalized. It will be an Astralis team that we will definitely hear much more about in the future."

For now, Astralis W are just:

Aurora "⁠aurora⁠" Lyngdal

Søren "⁠zibron⁠" Geertsen (coach)