As the greatest organization in the history of CS:GO, in recent memory, Astralis has been a shadow of its former self.
First there was the loss of their talismanic AWPer Nicolai “device” Reedtz to NIP. Always bound to be difficult, the departure of device would prove too difficult to recover from, as both Philip “Lucky” Ewald and Asger “Farlig” Jensen would don the hallowed red and black jersey with unsatisfactory results.
Losing dynamic duo
The team would also lose dangerous duo Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Emil “Magisk” Reif, who, alongside mastermind coach Danny “zonic” Sorensen at the start of 2022.
With the once-dominant core no longer playing under the Astralis banner, new stars would have to arrive to replace them. Benjamin “blameF” Bremmer and Kristian “k0nfig” Wiennecke would arrive at the same time, and while one has become one of CS:GO’s greatest stars during his time with the team, the other was surrounded by controversy as he left before the year was out.
A new look
In 2023, however, Astralis has a new look. The roster's backbone is once again made up of players from their back-to-back-to-back Major winning team, as device is now playing again on the server alongside Andreas “Xyp9x” Holsjeth and the IGL that turned them both into winners, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander.
Completing the lineup is a young Danish talent, Christian “Buzz” Andersen. Plucked from the depths of FACEIT on device’s recommendation, much hope rests upon his inexperienced shoulders to provide some of the aggressive force that has been dearly missed by the squad.
Despite being now four months into this team’s tenure together, it’s still hard to gauge their ability. With them missing out on a chance to play at IEM Katowice 2023, their lack of opportunity at a tier-one level makes them somewhat of an enigma.
Showing promise
Currently ranked 16th in the world, their results suggest they could easily go higher. CCT runs have seen them rack up wins with relative ease, and their first tier-one outing at ESL Pro League Season 17 has also shown promise.
Although they may have failed to reach playoffs at the event, Buzz showed a sign of what’s to come with a dominant performance in a 16-3 thrashing of NAVI on Overpass. The subsequent maps may have both been losses, but the capability to perform so strongly against a team like NAVI is more than encouraging.
One of the most talented riflers
Still, very much a team finding its feet, ‘encouraging’ is a word that could be used to describe many facets of their game. Even with the year break from competitive play, device is already showcasing that he still has the skills to be an elite AWPer, meaning that the biggest worry of Astralis’ 2022 is already far behind them.
As for blameF, as one of the most talented riflers in the world, he has often been criticized for the passive nature of his playstyle. In the 2023 squadron, this passive blameF is nowhere to be seen.
Taking space in a manner more akin to a Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis, blameF is now operating as more of a star opener, an asset for his team to find their way into rounds. It’s a change that brings a lot of excitement and one that should also see a full realization of blameF’s impressive skillset.
Tough RMR group
With the RMR for the BLAST.tv Paris Major live the event is an opportunity for Astralis to right some of the wrongs of their previous roster. After disappointingly missing out on a spot at IEM Rio 2022, the team will be keen to ensure that their space in the City of Love is guaranteed with relative ease.
With a tough group waiting for them in Copenhagen, Astralis can view the RMR as a proving ground for themselves.
RMRs bring with them an unrivaled sense of pressure, and their formatting guarantees upsets. Successfully running the RMR gauntlet will show that this Astralis means business, and from there, maybe Astralis magic will come to the forefront of Counter-Strike once again.