Falling stars: The timeline of Astralis missing five consecutive Majors
Once an all-time greatest team, Astralis have missed five consecutive Majors after they plunged into chaos since they last played at one in 2022.
Astralis have just missed out on the BLAST.tv Austin Major. While the result in isolation wouldn't sound alarm bells for the Danes given that several other big names have recovered from similar failures, the wider context paints a bleak picture for Denmark's flagship organization.
The loss to B8 in the European MRQ meant that Astralis will miss a Major for the fifth consecutive time after a prolonged period of underachievement.
The organization has already laid off staff in the past few years, and another lack of Major sticker revenue could jeopardize the future of one of Counter-Strike's most recognizable names.
To understand how we arrived at this point, we need to look back at what, in hindsight, were relatively better days.
PGL Antwerp: Astralis' last Major
Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth Asger "Farlig" Jensen Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke Benjamin "blameF" Bremer Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander
Martin "trace" Heldt (coach)
By 2022, Astralis were no longer the juggernaut they were during their pre-pandemic era, as just Xyp9x and gla1ve remained from their legendary team.
Their bid to change the professional landscape with a six-man roster failed to bear fruit, and the organization also lost Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen, Emil "Magisk" Reif, and Danny "zonic" Sørensen to Vitality in a move that signaled the start of a new chapter.
Despite all the turmoil, Astralis gave themselves a solid platform to begin their rebuild after losing some of their most recognizable names and qualified for the Belgian Major with a roster featuring Farlig and blameF.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage | ||
| 09/05/2022 |
Finished
16:2 |
Match |
| 09/05/2022 |
Finished
8:16 |
Match |
| 10/05/2022 |
Finished
16:13 |
Match |
| 11/05/2022 |
Finished
0:2 |
Match |
| 12/05/2022 |
Finished
0:2 |
Match |
k0nfig's injury hampers Rio Major campaign
Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth Asger "Farlig" Jensen Benjamin "blameF" Bremer Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander Mikkel "MistR" Thomsen
Martin "trace" Heldt (coach)
By the time the Rio Major cycle rolled around, Astralis had just lost k0nfig to injury and replaced him with an inexperienced academy player, MistR.
With the youngster in their ranks, Astralis were on the back foot from the start and got just one win at the RMR. They were eliminated by FORZE, and k0nfig permanently lost his spot on the roster shortly after due to "personal circumstances."
At the time of the announcement, news came out that an altercation with a bar representative in Malta during Astralis' ESL Pro League Season 16 campaign was the cause of the injuries and his consequential release.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Road to Rio 2022 Europe RMR A | ||
| 04/10/2022 |
Finished
16:12 |
Match |
| 05/10/2022 |
Finished
16:9 |
Match |
| 06/10/2022 |
Finished
16:3 |
Match |
| 07/10/2022 |
Finished
0:2 |
Match |
device's return fails to change Astralis' fortunes in Paris Major bid
Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth Benjamin "blameF" Bremer Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander Nicolai "device" Reedtz Christian "Buzz" Andersen
Peter "casle" Ardenskjold (coach)
k0nfig's removal was soon followed by trace departing from the coaching position, but the Danes could look forward to device's return to the organization after their previous setback. The legendary AWPer left Astralis to join Ninjas in Pyjamas in what proved to be an ill-fated move that lasted less than a year, and he brought with him Buzz who took the place of MistR.
The biggest news around Astralis at the time came off the server, however, as they scooped up Nicolai "HUNDEN" Petersen as head analyst a little over a month after ESIC announced that the Dane was free to participate in their member events in a move full of controversy.
All of the off-server drama certainly didn't help the team in their attempt to qualify for the Paris Major, and they once again failed to progress through the RMR, where they were poetically eliminated by k0nfig's Ninjas in Pyjamas in the 1-2 match.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Europe RMR B | ||
| 11/04/2023 |
Finished
16:14 |
Match |
| 11/04/2023 |
Finished
16:7 |
Match |
| 12/04/2023 |
Finished
2:1 |
Match |
| 13/04/2023 |
Finished
2:0 |
Match |
Captain blameF's Major hopes rocked by stavn and jabbi saga
Benjamin "blameF" Bremer Nicolai "device" Reedtz Victor "Staehr" Staehr Martin "stavn" Lund Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard
Mathias "R0nic" Pinholt (coach)
Astralis' failure to qualify for the Paris Major triggered a series of major changes within the organization. Alexander "Altekz" Givskov was promoted to the main roster while veteran Xyp9x went the other way, and HUNDEN's contract was terminated just six months after his appointment.
The reshuffle didn't stop there, however, as Altekz was soon replaced by Johannes "b0RUP" Borup, and iconic in-game leader gla1ve was benched in favor of long-term target Staehr, handing over the captaincy to blameF ahead of CS2's release.
Just months later, Astralis revamped once again, bringing in stavn and jabbi from rivals HEROIC to replace b0RUP and Buzz. The transfers sparked backlash due to the controversy surrounding their departure from HEROIC, where the pair reportedly agreed to extensions under the condition that Casper "cadiaN" Møller would be benched, but then made the jump to Astralis anyway for a rumored fee of around $2 million.
Despite a later statement claiming that the whole team supported cadiaN's removal, public perception soured, branding the duo as 'stabbi' and further damaging Astralis' reputation after another high-profile drama.
The RMRs for their home Copenhagen Major then came along, and Astralis were once again eliminated, this time at the hands of 9 Pandas in the Last Chance Qualifier. The pressure proved too much to handle, while the overlap in roles between the incoming duo and blameF led to an incoherent playstyle, particularly because of role clashes between the IGL and stavn.
Following their elimination, Astralis' most veteran players came under fire from the community after scarpering away from the responsibility of appearing on the broadcast to give their exit interview, which forced their least-tenured member, Staehr, to step in front of a camera.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 Europe RMR B | ||
| 19/02/2024 |
Finished
13:5 |
Match |
| 19/02/2024 |
Finished
13:11 |
Match |
| 20/02/2024 |
Finished
7:13 |
Match |
| 21/02/2024 |
Finished
1:2 |
Match |
| 22/02/2024 |
Finished
2:0 |
Match |
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 Europe Last Chance Qualifier | ||
| 23/02/2024 |
Finished
2:0 |
Match |
cadiaN joins as rifling IGL for Shanghai after device experiment goes wrong
Victor "Staehr" Staehr Martin "stavn" Lund Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard Casper "cadiaN" Møller Alexander "br0" Bro
Casper "ruggah" Due (coach)
Mere days after their Copenhagen RMR failure, blameF was removed in favor of br0, ruggah joined as head coach, and device fulfilled his "huge desire" to become an in-game leader.
While the team began well under new leadership, results soured enough for the organization to pull the plug on the experiment just over six months later. cadiaN was brought on as a rifling IGL to try and unlock the potential of their star signings, stavn and jabbi, since he was the IGL under whom they became household names.
As was the case with many of their recent high-profile moves, this one also began with controversy. cadiaN made his debut at BLAST Fall Final after Astralis got an unfair emergency substitution to bypass a roster deadline declaring that br0 was "unfit to play," but br0's agent then said that he was healthy, triggering seven IGLs to protest in an open letter and a slap on the wrist from ESIC.
Another shock happened shortly after as device announced he would be taking a break from competition due to medical reasons days before the start of the Shanghai Major RMR, which meant that br0 would stand in for the team in China.
Astralis were again fighting an uphill battle amidst plenty of outside turmoil and were eventually left without a Major spot after a loss to Passion UA in the 2-2 pool, which ended their season on a sour note.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Europe RMR B | ||
| 21/11/2024 |
Finished
9:13 |
Match |
| 21/11/2024 |
Finished
11:13 |
Match |
| 22/11/2024 |
Finished
2:1 |
Match |
| 23/11/2024 |
Finished
1:2 |
Match |
| 24/11/2024 |
Finished
0:2 |
Match |
device returns to activity only to suffer the same fate in Austin Major MRQ
Victor "Staehr" Staehr Martin "stavn" Lund Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard Casper "cadiaN" Møller Nicolai "device" Reedtz
Casper "ruggah" Due (coach)
A rare off-season without changes followed as device slotted back into the starting lineup after his break, and Astralis set their sights on the Austin Major. They barely missed out on direct qualification, by under 30 points in the VRS ranking, and were consequently sent to the MRQ.
The online qualifier started well, as Astralis had a 2-1 record and were just one win away from making the Major after the first two days of action. A loss to Metizport and a win against BIG then meant they reached the sixth-place decider, but then failed to show up when it mattered and dropped an 11-6 lead on the decider map against B8 in the qualifying clash.
Astralis' loss at the MRQ marked their fifth consecutive absence from a Major in another massive disappointment during a prolonged period of underachievement.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 Europe Regional Qualifier | ||
| 14/04/2025 |
Finished
8:13 |
Match |
| 14/04/2025 |
Finished
13:7 |
Match |
| 15/04/2025 |
Finished
13:3 |
Match |
| 16/04/2025 |
Finished
2:1 |
Match |
| 16/04/2025 |
Finished
2:1 |
Match |
| 17/04/2025 |
Finished
1:2 |
Match |
More fallout after another missed Major
Astralis answered the issues with another round of changes. Sports Director Kasper Straube was dismissed and cadiaN was on the chopping block after seven challenging months marked by limited individual impact following his role switch. His temporary replacement will be ex-G2 IGL Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen, who has been announced as a stand-in for PGL Astana.
Once a dominant force in Counter-Strike and still the only organization with four Major titles to its name, Astralis hasn't claimed a Big Event LAN victory since 2019. In the years since, the organization has become more recognized for the controversies it generates than the trophies in the cabinet.
Now, with financial struggles casting doubt over their future in esports, it remains to be seen if HooXi is the man to drag Astralis out of the hole they've dug themselves into.
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire
Robin 'ropz' Kool
Shahar 'flameZ' Shushan
William 'mezii' Merriman
Ivan 'maddened' Iordanidi
Michel 'ewjerkz' Pinto
Richard 'Xizt' Landström
Tiaan 'T.c' Coertzen
Álvaro 'SunPayus' García
Yasin 'xfl0ud' Koç
Andrey 'tN1R' Tatarinovich
Eetu 'sAw' Saha Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth
Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski
Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač
Mario 'malbsMd' Samayoa Kristian 'k0nfig' Wienecke
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