ruggah: "I see device picking up IGLing again in the future"
Astralis' move for cadiaN will likely go down as one of the biggest roster moves in the history of Counter-Strike.
Previously unthinkable due to his talismanic status on HEROIC, it still feels weird to say he will be the man leading Astralis into a new era.
Of course, he won't be doing it alone. Joined by ruggah, the two are now tasked with taking Astralis back to the top of the Counter-Strike ladder, a position in which they haven't sat since March 2021.
At BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024, we spoke to ruggah about the move for cadiaN, the new Astralis, and device's decision to move away from IGLing.
"We will be faster in getting to where we want to be"
You've signed cadiaN, something nobody was expecting, how did it come together?
When you're around a big organisation and team, you keep a dialogue internally about which direction the team is moving and also looking at whether you're following a trajectory you like or not.
One of those talks has been about player composition and seeing as we've hit a rough patch and haven't had the best of results, we were continuously thinking about whether the players were the right fit for our long-term vision.
Somewhere along the way we decided that now was the best time, instead of waiting until after the Major, let's say. That would have been the next window where we could've made a change if we didn't do so now. As the talks went on, it was more or less said that it had to be here and now.
Striker mentioned on HLTV Confirmed that cadiaN wasn't your only target, was there other people you were looking at?
We always had the ongoing talks and whether specific names were brought up or not, I don't think it's the time nor place to talk about it. But I think every team has things like this.
When we landed on cadiaN, it was the best possible fit for the team and would also fill out some gaps we had in the previous roster in terms of playing big games, consistency, and small inputs that we could add into the mix.
The move was surprising for us, but was it surprising for you as well given the history between some of the players?
I wouldn't say it was a surprise, but obviously, I wasn't a part of what happened back then so I only heard things here and there.
That being said, I know the air was cleared before we even considered bringing him in, so at the end of the day, there was no bigger thoughts going into it other than the players being aligned on how to avoid what happened at the end of HEROIC and also how to benefit from each other.
The move sees device transition away from IGLing, something he previously said he viewed to be a long-term thing. Did that view change while he was in the role or was it just a case that bringing in an IGL is what is best for the team right now?
It's not something we talked about, him moving away I mean. When you have a player in a new role, you have continuous talks about how they're feeling in it, what the trajectory is, and I was happy with it. I also think he saw a lot of potential and possibilities with himself as an IGL.
It's not to halter that part of the trajectory, but now he gets to learn a little bit from a seasoned veteran.
I don't think his long-term ambitions of being an IGL has halted, but maybe just paused for the moment being.
The iteration of the team he was leading couldn't fulfill the needs of both parties. I think he was doing a good job, but he was also lacking player inputs or players taking responsibility in certain situations where he, as a new IGL, probably hadn't developed that part of being an IGL yet.
That's also something to consider with us bringing in cadiaN. He is an old veteran in the game when it comes to these things like micro-managing smaller areas of the map.
Previously, device was more of a big-picture guy and setting up certain things, instead of micro-managing how to take certain areas as a duo or pushing them or halting them when they have to.
It's a combination of things. I don't think device IGLing was wrong or bad, and I also see him picking it up in the future if that possibility comes his way again. But, for now, he is fully dedicated to his old role again, and I'm certain he will be a difference maker as he has been throughout his whole career.
Both parties, and by that I mean device and the other players, can gain something from bringing device into the mix.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrencadiaN will now be rifling as an IGL, something that puts him into different places on the map, will that make it harder for him to make calls in late-round situations because his oversight will have changed?
It's going to be new for him, not calling from the scope, so to say. It will take some time to get used to, but I don't think it will be a long transition period.
He's also vocal himself that it is different, but that it's not a problem. I think a lot of players would have a harder time adjusting to changing the ways you have been doing things for a long time, but cadiaN is one of those guys that gets the best out of everything.
The short time we've had together has also shown that and the promise that we have.
Other players have moved roles around so he can be more in the mix on some maps, it's not a one-to-one replacement with br0, but I also think that time will show that.
We've tried to get the best out of cadian without him being an AWPer, and put him in places where he can have impact on both sides of the coin.
It's something we've spoken about internally, we want to utilise him as best as possible for him to lead the team in a way where he feels like he has the possibilities and scenarios he needs and wants to succeed in that role.
It's not like he's going to be hardcore anchoring all bombsites and standing on the outside lurking as br0 was, we've tried to move things around so that we get the best out of everyone.
When we spoke to cadiaN, he mentioned that jabbi has been AWPing a little bit in practices and that both he and jabbi might second AWP at times. With that in mind and with the fluidity of the old HEROIC system, we will see something similar from this new Astralis?
I think you shouldn't focus too much on what cadiaN says sometimes, I think he was trolling again [laughs].
It can take a while for IGLs to implement systems when they come into a team, but cadiaN obviously has already spent a lot of time with jabbi and stavn in HEROIC, does that mean that the time it will take him to implement things is reduced?
I would say that we will be faster in getting to where we want to be in terms of understanding each other.
cadiaN is an IGL that has the luxury of being good at throwing curveballs and making small adjustments as he did in HEROIC, so it's not like we need the most detailed gameplans to play the game because we have a veteran that can micromanage at times and can make swift calls that we don't have in the playbook.
Obviously, the groundwork will take some time, but the flow of games, we are already pretty safe in that aspect.
Photo: Michal KonkolWith the success of the former HEROIC team, does that mean there is extra pressure for this roster to succeed?
I don't know if it creates more pressure, I think back then, the old HEROIC team was also striving to be the best in the world and that's the same ambition we have now. Whether the name Astralis or HEROIC is in the mix in these talks, it doesn't really matter, both visions are similar.
What we have talked a lot about internally is that this shouldn't be a new HEROIC, we have two different players that are themselves in their own way. Putting device in that mix also makes these talks more fun because he is one of the greatest of all time, so, putting him in that old HEROIC core and Staehr with his untapped potential, I think we have what we need to succeed and become one of the best teams in the world.
Whether we do become the best is a matter of time, and I think it's also hard to judge the rosters next to each other because cadiaN was the only experienced player but here we have device too.
Maybe there are similarities in terms of how the proactivity and dynamics played are done, but at the end of the day, we also have different skillsets in this team than they had in theirs.
I also think it's healthy to not try and just copy the old style. I'm pretty certain we'll have our own version of Astralis moving forward and I'm pretty hyped about it.